The team working on the logo using waste from maize.
A SECONDARY school in Sabah’s northern Kota Marudu district found an innovative way to commemorate National Day and Malaysia Day.
Teachers and students of SMK Bandau, about 130km from Kota Kinabalu, utilised the waste parts of maize, from its stalk to corn husks, silk and even the tassel, and turned them into a beautifully crafted replica of the Malaysia Madani logo.
Teachers (from left) Irene, Scholastica and Yusri with students (kneeling from left) Redlye, Razman, Daniel and Alex Zander (standing right) posing beside the Malaysia Madani logo replica at SMK Bandau.
The government selected the logo as the official emblem of the National Day and Malaysia Day celebrations this year.
Scholastica Dalius said she was assisted by her students Redlye Aloysius, Razman Makri, Alex Zander Welfred and Daniel Mikol as well as another teacher, Yusri Yulizar, in the project.
She said the idea was the brainchild of teacher Irene Jokilyn, while the team used equipment supplied by another teacher, Liew Yun Chin.
“It was a team effort and we are proud of it,” said Scholastica, 34, who has been teaching at the school since 2019.
“We also received support from the school’s Parent-Teacher Association and school cleaners who provided us with the raw materials from farms to make the replica.”
They completed the logo in less than 12 hours over a weekend in early August, in time for the Kota Marudu leg of the 2023 Kembara Merdeka Jalur Gemilang Convoy, she said.
Scholastica said people were impressed when they saw the finished work.
“They asked why maize? Well, it is because corn is synonymous with Kota Marudu, which is one of the largest producers of maize in the Sabah west coast,” she explained.
She said the red and white stripes of the logo were made using corn husks while the blue part used the stalks.
She added that the yellow star and crescent moon symbols were made with the tassels and corn silk, respectively.
Scholastica said she was touched by the determination of the four students who were willing to sacrifice their time and energy to complete the replica.
“I am also grateful to the efforts of my colleagues who spent time on this project during the weekend, which is normally time for family.
“This shows that they have the value of patriotism,” she added.
