Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart was the recent recipient of a special peace gift sent by its sister school in Tokyo, Japan.
The gift was presented by Headmistress Frances de la Chapelle at the New Year’s prayer service.
The "senba zuru," or thousand cranes, is a symbol of peace and healing. The students of the International School of the Sacred Heart made each crane using the art of origami (paper folding), wrote messages of love and peace inside their wings, and then strung them together into a senba zuru.
The gift was accompanied by a letter from representatives of the whole student body.
"We are all shocked and horrified (about) the terrorist attacks," the Tokyo students wrote. "We have students from over 50 nations and various religions, and all of us sincerely hope that whatever suffering you may be experiencing will heal and that we may once again live in peace. We hope the cranes will be of some comfort to you. Please remember that our thoughts are with you, and that we are praying for the safety of you and your families, and the quick recovery of your nation."
The senba zuru traditionally is presented at shrines, peace museums and memorials, and to sick patients in hospitals as a symbol of peace and healing.
