INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE TOMORROW

                                 INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE TOMORROW

Dear Saint John’s School Families,

Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on September 21.  The General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.  The first Peace Day was observed in September 1982. 

“On this International Day of Peace, let us pledge to teach our children the value of tolerance and mutual respect.  Let us invest in the schools and teachers that will build a fair and inclusive world that embraces diversity. Let us fight for peace and defend it with all our might.”   UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Pinwheels for Peace is an art installation project started in 2005, by two Art teachers as a way for students to express their feelings about what is going on in the world and in their lives.  Last year, 2012, over 4 million pinwheels were spinning in over 3,500 locations throughout the world.

Here at Saint John’s School Mrs. Brown makes this a part of her art program .  She teaches her students that peace isn’t only to be associated with the conflict of war, but how it relates to violence/intolerance in our daily lives, freedom from conflict or disagreement among people or groups, a state of mind and serenity, with no anxiety. 

In her classroom our students, too, create pinwheels, pinwheels of all shapes and sizes.  As part of the creation process, the students write on one side their thoughts about tolerance and living in harmony with others, on the other side they will draw, paint, collage etc. to visually express their feelings.  Today, the day before the International Day of Peace tomorrow, they “planted” their pinwheels here on campus as a public statement and art exhibit.  This followed Father Frank’s homily in today’s  Friday Mass, where he talked to the children about getting along with each other and living in peace.

Please observe and enjoy the pinwheels on Saint John’s campus. Ask your child(ren) about their Pinwheel for Peace.  When they bring it home let them tell you about what they learned and why. The spinning of the pinwheels in the wind will spread thoughts and feelings about peace throughout the country and the world.  IMAGINE…”Whirled Peace”!!

Peace be with you,