by Davy James, Staff Writer
Almost 50 years after Bob Dylan posed questions of war and peace in the iconic song “Blowin’ in the Wind,” students at Brunswick Acres Elementary School saw their own messages of peace and love spinning in the breeze in honor of International Day of Peace.
To commemorate the day, the school held an event called Pinwheels for Peace on Friday.
Each student designed a pinwheel decorated with drawings and words of peace, as each student made their own personal commitments to peace and love. The United Nations’ International Peace Day was officially observed Sunday by UN offices and peacekeeping around the world.
The event at Brunswick Acres had approximately 600 pinwheels placed in the grounds and gardens of the school and was a great way for the students to feel empowered, said art teacher Suzanne Tiedemann.
”I was looking for a tie-in with Peace Day and Pinwheels for Peace is a great way for students to get involved and create art,” Ms. Tiedemann said. “Some students drew pictures and images of peace signs or their family and some wrote down their own personal commitments to peace. We had talks with the students about how they could feel empowered and be involved.”
The student’s personal commitments to peace were on a personal level and something they could do each day in their school.
”We talked about ways to spread peace like being nice to other students,” Ms. Tiedemann said. “If you see a new student, be nice to them, help your teacher and bring that spirit home. I hope they think that way every day when at school or at home. We want them to remember their commitment to peace and know that if you do a good deed then that makes you feel good. It’s a win-win.”
Approximately 1.6 million people worldwide participated in pinwheels for peace events by making pinwheels, according to Ms. Tiedemann. At Brunswick Acres, the teachers used the activity across the curriculum by having some students write poems following the ceremony.
Fifth-graders Thais Gobbi and Josette Thomas enjoyed creating the pinwheels and especially liked the ceremony.
”I really liked being outside, hanging out with my friends and working together,” Josette said. “My personal commitment to peace at the school is helping the young students obey the rules, like if I see them running in the hallways. People need to work together for peace so we have a nice life together.”
Other students enjoyed the community atmosphere the event helped bring to the school.
”It was nice being outside and hearing what other people said they were gonna do for peace,” said fifth-grader Rebecca Hand. “It was fun watching the little kids putting their pinwheels in the ground; they’re so cute.”
Fifth-graders Carly Boda and Katie Fucito felt strongly about the messages on their pinwheels and plan on continuing the theme of the day throughout the year.
”We need to think about what we can do for peace and to take care of the world,” Katie said. “My commitment to peace is to try and stop fights in the school because we don’t want to have enemies. We want everyone to get along.”
Fifth-graders Dustin Eichler and Josh Slavin said helping younger students helped to make their school a better place and was a great way to spread the message of peace.
”My personal commitment to peace was to think about happy things and helping people who need it,” Josh said. “If I see someone having trouble with schoolwork, then I’ll help them with it. If I see people in a fight, I’m going to try and help them stop fighting. It’s nice to see people try to help everyone.”
Ms. Tiedemann said she hopes the students carry the message of peace with them and remember to spread that message as they grow.
”It’s so important for them to feel empowered and know they can make a difference,” she said. “Even if it’s on a small scale, it helps them impact the cause of peace.”
