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***image1***In today’s world, peace needs to become more than just a word. On Monday, Sembach Elementary School plans to take part in an International art and literacy project, Pinwheels for Peace, by “planting” pinwheels with messages of peace.
Pinwheels for Peace is an art installation project started in 2005 by two art teachers, Ann Ayers and Ellen McMillan, of Coconut Creek, Fla., as a way for students to express their feelings about what’s going on in the world and in their lives. In the first year, groups in more than 1,325 locations throughout the world were spinning pinwheels Sept. 21; there were approximately 500,000 pinwheels spinning around the world. Last year (year three), more than 1.2 million pinwheels were spinning in more than 2,500 locations, including the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, the Middle East, Africa and South America.
This project is non-political – peace doesn’t necessarily have to be associated with the conflict of war, it can be related to violence or intolerance in our daily lives, to peace of mind. To each of us, peace can take on a different meaning, but, in the end, it all comes down to a simple definition: “a state of calm and serenity with no anxiety, the absence of violence, freedom from conflict or disagreement among people or groups of people.”
Students from SES will create pinwheels of all shapes and sizes as part of the creation process. They will write their thoughts about “war and peace/tolerance/ living in harmony with others” on one side. On the other side, they will draw, paint or collage to visually express their feelings. The students will assemble these pinwheels and on International Day of Peace, they will “plant” their pinwheels as a public statement and art exhibit.
Monday, keep a lookout for the pinwheels. The spinning of the pinwheels in the wind will spread thoughts and feelings about peace throughout the country and the world.
Visit www.pinwheelsforpeace.com for details.
(Courtesy of Pinwheels for Peace)
