By WU VUIDE
PENAMPANG: Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) St Theresa Inobong continues to promote patriotism and love for the country through its National Month 2026 celebrations, held for more than a month.
The programme, involving the entire school community led by headmistress Olivia Chia, began with the National Month launch on Aug 3 and ended with the closing ceremony on Sept 17, officiated by school liaison officer Doris Kok, representing the District Education Office (PPD).
The closing ceremony was also attended by members of the school’s board of governors, Parent-Teacher Association executive committee led by chairman Paul Matthew and PPD representatives.
Throughout the celebrations, various activities were held, including flying the Jalur Gemilang, colouring and poster drawing competitions, Merdeka hat decoration, a Merdeka fashion competition themed on recycling, a National Month scrapbook competition, patriotic classroom decorations, choir performances, an online quiz and Explorasi Merdeka.
The traditional musical instrument replica-making and traditional Malaysian ethnic house replica-making activities, organised by the Kadazandusun Language Panel, exposed pupils to Sabah’s ethnic diversity and traditional musical instruments and architecture that form part of the state’s cultural heritage.
The activities also provided a platform for pupils to learn about and appreciate local cultural heritage through creating replicas.
Pupils learned that ethnic and cultural diversity is a strength that reflects Malaysia’s uniqueness as a multiracial country.
A total of 294 pupils from preschool to Year Six participated in at least one activity throughout the National Month, showing the strong response from the school community.
Each activity was planned with broader educational objectives rather than merely to create a festive atmosphere.
The Merdeka hat decoration competition highlighted pupils’ creativity and imagination and showed the involvement of parents in helping their children produce designs.
The cooperation demonstrated that patriotism can be fostered jointly by schools, pupils and families.
The Merdeka fashion competition, themed on recycling, aimed to convey the message that National Day celebrations are also about teaching the younger generation to protect the environment and practise a more sustainable lifestyle.
Meanwhile, Explorasi Merdeka provided pupils with an opportunity to explore knowledge related to independence through questions and tasks that encouraged the use of higher-order thinking skills.
The National Month celebrations also demonstrated cooperation among the subject panels, teachers, pupils, parents and school management, with each playing a role in ensuring that the activities were carried out smoothly and provided meaningful learning experiences.
The school was founded by Mill Hill Missionary priests in 1890 and was built on a hill near the church in Inobong. The school was closed during World War II.
After the war, the Mill Hill priests rebuilt the school building with the help of villagers. The school was relocated to a nearby area in 1996. At present, the school has 17 staff members.
Olivia, Doris, Paul, teachers and pupils celebrate the end of Merdeka Month.
