By Charles Gladden
BELIZE CITY, Mon. Sept. 15, 2025
Primary school students from within Belize City assembled on Friday, September 12, at the Belize City Civic Center for the annual Children’s Rally, held as a part of the September celebrations.
The event would normally feature 24 local primary schools from within Belize City, as they sang well-known patriotic songs while waving their flags and, as per tradition, performing patriotic pieces.
“It’s really about promoting patriotism, about promoting civic pride,” said Sebastian Cab, Principal Education Officer for the Belize District Education Center. “We have a line of patriotic items, and we as a community are doing our part in promoting love for country, and that is important to have every year,” he added.
24 schools were scheduled to participate in this year’s rally; however, due to the heavy showers that occurred that morning before the event, the numbers were reduced to 10 schools for the event.
“We normally get around 3,000 to 4,000 students, and this morning we have three to four hundred students, and it’s really beyond one’s control. We truly appreciate our schools out there that couldn’t make it this morning. We understand what they’re going through,” Cab said.
The children were given a special appearance by the 2025-2026 Queen of the Bay, Samantha Ramirez, and Miss Universe Belize, Isabella Zabaneh.
“September celebrations have always been my favorite time of the year, and so to be in this role, the Independence Day celebration and everything we see in September, the patriotism and the pride of our community really is tenfold, I think, and I love that I can be a part of it,” Zabaneh mentioned.
Deputy Mayor Eluide Miller provided an inspiring motivational speech to the children in attendance.
Capturing the mood of the children gathered, he also offered some words of advice: “Today is YOUR day, your time to have fun, your time to celebrate and be celebrated … Life is about balance. There’s a time to have fun, and there’s a time to focus. Having fun makes us happy and strong. Focusing makes us smarter and ready for the future … When you pay attention in class, when you listen to your teachers, when you give your best on your homework, you are building a stronger you … when you balance fun and hard work, you grow in your mind, in your heart, and in your character. That’s how you rise forever, just like this year’s theme: ‘Stronger Together, Rising Forever!’” He continued, “Belize is a small country, but we are a strong country. We have faced hurricanes, floods, and challenges, but we always rise again. And just like Belize, each of you must be strong too … Every time you sing the anthem, every time you wave the Belize flag, every time you help a friend, you are showing your Belizean pride. That’s what makes our country stronger together,” he said.
