The 2017 Royal Suite will be donning a new look for the Royal City’s 147th May Day celebration on May 24.
Instead of the white dresses and capes worn by past May Queens and girls in the Royal Suite, the girls in this year’s Royal Suite will be wearing purple and pink floral dresses that are lined with a crinoline and topped with a white bolero and short, white gloves.
“The traditional white attire will be refreshed with the girls wearing matching spring dresses that are colourful, dynamic and youthful – and in keeping with the renewal symbolized in a spring May Day celebration,” said a statement for the school district. “The entire 2017 Royal Suite will stand out not only for the apparel they are wearing, complete with crowns of flowers and a crown for the May Queen, but for their leadership skills and community spirit.”
Janet Grant, associate superintendent of schools for the New Westminster School District, said it’s anticipated the girls’ dresses will change each May Day. The Royal Knights will be wearing white, long-sleeved dress shirts with a purple tie (to match the dresses) and black pants.
“I've had feedback from a few individuals with concerns about changing the May Day attire. Most of the comments are about the longstanding history and tradition of the white dresses and robes,” Grant said in an email to the Record. “But, as we all know, history and traditions evolve over time and we felt it important to refresh the attire to coincide with a renewed event in the park, which will be more engaging and student-friendly than ever.”
The school district has made a number of changes to the May Day celebrations with a goal of making the experience more meaningful and relevant to students and highlighting their role in the event. These include:
* Members of the Royal Suite will have a role on the main platform introducing the folk and maypole dances, sharing the history of May Day and presenting speeches. The platform is being moved so it’s closer to students in the stands.
* More opportunities will be included at May Day to give students in the stands a chance to show their school spirit.
* The Royal Suite process will be “enlivened” with the participation of New Westminster Secondary School’s marching band.
* May Day will feature more entertainment, including the possibility of more performances by New Westminster Secondary School students.
“May Day at Queen’s Park is about celebrating our students and showcasing their talents, all the while lifting the spirits of the community,” said the district’s statement. “We firmly believe that while we have made modifications to the attire for our school district event, we are also playing a major role in upholding the integrity of the special tradition of May Day, which at its heart and from its inception is about celebrating community spirit, and that includes celebrating the spirit and leadership of our students.”
In 2015, the board of education’s May Day Task Force was commissioned to review the school district’s participation in May Day and to consider the ceremony, the associated curriculum and the Royal Suite. Following this year’s May Day, the task force will solicit feedback on the changes and suggestions for future changes.
“Today’s curriculum is about engaging students and building core competencies that will carry them throughout their lives. By making May Day in Queen’s Park more engaging and showcasing our students’ communication, personal and social core competencies, we are very much in the spirit of the 21st century learning,” said the statement form the district. “As part of this, it is our professional view that the traditional May Day attire of white dresses and capes need to be refreshed to appropriately reflect an engaging, meaningful and student friendly event – and event that remains very much in the spirit of May Day, which is to boost spirits in the community every spring.”
Trustee Michael Ewen, who was part of a task force comprised of community members, district staff and trustees that reviewed May Day, attended last year’s event and felt it needed to be more child-focused.
“I wasn’t really charmed – not that I have to be charmed – but I really thought it was adult-focused,” he said. “There were lots of adult speeches. I was in the stands. I was walking around and there was no engagement whatsoever. Kids weren’t engaged in May Day. I came back to the board and said it seems to me if we are going to do something like that we want kids to be engaged.”
