Schools

Barr Students Celebrate Peace Day with Pinwheels

The students planted pinwheels for peace as part of an art project

For the last five years, Barr Middle School students have participated in the Pinwheels for Peace event. Art teachers Jacqueline Almonte and Denise Pentimone.

"Pinwheels for Peace is a way to observe International Peace Day (Sept. 21) in a fun and creative way," said Almonte. "I showed students video clips from a movie The Day After Peace, by film maker Jermey Gillie who spearheaded the adoption of this day by the United Nations."

"We got to make pinwheels for peace. We have a lot of fighting going on (in the world)," said Student Lillian McParland. 

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The students "planted" the pinwheels along Church Street in front of Barr and they were up for the school day before being taken down to be returned to the students. The students each made a pinwheel and attached them to straws, which were donated by  and . 

"I never knew there was a peace day," said Elmira Aghayeva. "There was a great man that kept trying and trying for peace and he went through a lot of struggles. The lesson on that was to keep on trying." She added that all the different pinwheel designs "are like different ways of saying peace." The "great man" she is referring to is Jeremy Gillie.

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"We talked about ways to express their feelings and hopes for world peace through words and imagery," said Almonte. "Then they decorate them and construct them. Throughout the day classes will be brought out to view the pinwheels and discuss the concept of joining together to support an end to violence." 

The front of the pinwheel was visual and students drew their ideas for peace in front while on the back, students wrote messages about peace. All grade levels at Barr participated. 

"I thought it was a lot of fun," said Kat Gregory. "We liked making it so colorful and giving them away to the elderly."

"The students also made extra ones to be brought to a nursing home," said Pentimone.

"It was fun and it was a good thing to do for the community," said Student Joshua Beal. 

"We need more freedom in the world," said Nicole Jackson. 

For more information, 

http://www.pinwheelsforpeace.com/pinwheelsforpeace/home.html  

http://www.peaceoneday.org/en/welcome


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