P is for Peace
Kelsey Tanouye, Staff Writer
September 30, 2009
Filed under ART!, Photos, Student Life
All around the world are many diverse traditions and holidays that are upheld by families and communities. There is one holiday though that is now celebrated each and every year and includes a whole day of worldwide peace – the International Day of Peace. Le Jardin’s Lower and Middle School held their own celebrations to for the joyous occasion.
Now held on September 21st of every year, the United Nations’ International Day of Peace was originally established by a UN resolution in 1981. It wasn’t until twenty years later though that the United Nations’ General Assembly decided on September 21st as the annual date. The UN International Day of Peace is a global holiday that consists of individuals, communities, nations, and governments highlighting efforts to end conflict and promote peace. It is a full 24 hours of peace and ceasefire during which any and all wars come to a halt.
When the Lower and Middle School held their own peace ceremony with their principal PJ Foehr they held a moment 
of silence for those around the world. From there, each of the different grades chose to celebrate Peace Day in their own way The sixth grade class in particular (with the help of Mrs. Manso) decided to take on a peace project all their own. Each sixth grader developed and constructed a four-piece pinwheel that represented what peace personally meant to them. One section was dedicated to an influential quote, while another what each kid thought they could do to make a difference, another for their interpretation of a peaceful world, and the last one consisted of a collection of peaceful words.
Among the sixth grade were different versions of what peace meant. For Zina Simpkins it means “to be calm, and not rude or crazy,” while for Sophie Bruno it means for “no war or violence.” 
Ryan King also added that each pinwheel was painted in the style of Jackson Pollack where the colors they used created a more abstract feel to their designs. For him peace is “no killing, bright colors, and hippies.”
It doesn’t matter how old you are to be able to convey a message, and the sixth graders helped to prove that. Even if it’s one small step, like creating a peace pinwheel for all to see, by helping to observe September 21st of every year we can help to bring our world one day closer to total peace.