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North students create ‘whirled peace’
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .A group of North students prepared their pinwheels on Sept. 21's International Day of Peace.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .A group of North first-graders showed off their "Pinwheels for Peace" on Sept. 21.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Long after the students of North planted their thoughts on peace, the pinwheels continued to spin, reminding the students to continue to work for "whirled peace."
By SARAH FOOR
To celebrate Sept. 21 as the International Day of Peace, the students of North Elementary shared their thoughts on peace on pinwheels.
North’s peace celebration began during morning announcements, when principal Tracy Kashak read the book “Finding Peace” by Amy E. Ayers. In the book, a young girl asks her friends and family what peace means to them, and receives answers as varied as finding peace in caring for a family, watching a mountain stream, or flying a kite.
“I think peace means something different to everyone, and I asked each of my students to consider what peace is for them. It doesn’t have to refer to wars or conflicts. Some students said that peace meant getting along with others, some said calmness,” shared Kashak.
North teachers helped their students write their feelings on peace and create drawing and paintings that were transformed into pinwheels. In the early morning on Sept. 21, Kashak’s staff and students lined the North driveway and planted their finished “Pinwheels for Peace” in the grass.
The pinwheels continued to spin all day, reminding the students to continue to search for “whirled peace.”
“There may never be a universal meaning for peace,” said Kashak. “But whatever it is, I hope my students will find their own meanings and nurture them.”