School #8 celebrates International Peace Day

School #8 students gathered on the front lawn of the school for a celebration of peace on Friday, September 19. International Peace Day was September 21.

The students, wearing a mix of American flag shirts, tie-dye and peace signs and holding decorative pinwheels that they had created, assembled on the school lawn in the shape of a peace sign. Principal Laurie Welch-Storch addressed them to explain the origins and purpose of International Peace Day. Together, the students and staff recited the Pledge of Allegiance and sang “Give Peace A Chance.” At Mrs. Storch’s prompting, they held their pinwheels aloft to watch them spin in the breeze.

The General Assembly of the UN created International Peace Day in 1981 to strengthen the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. In 2005, two art teachers from Coconut Creek, Florida, created Pinwheels for Peace to involve students in expressing their feelings about what’s going on in the world and in their lives by creating decorative pinwheels. In the first year, there were approximately 500,000 pinwheels throughout the world. By last year, there were 4.5 million pinwheels spinning in over 3,500 locations on every continent except Antarctica. School #8 hoped to contribute to an even larger number in 2014.

Pinwheels for Peace promotes the ideals of peace in all aspects of life. As Mrs. Storch explained, “Peace doesn’t necessarily have to be associated with the conflict of war, it can be related to kindness, tolerance and non-violence in our daily lives and to peace of mind.” She encouraged the children to think in terms of peace when they are on the playground with friends, at home with parents and siblings, in classrooms with fellow students.”