Children dressed in kimonos, mariachi hats and pants, and
flamenco dresses poured out into the Las Animas playground. In
their hands were not bags to fill with candy, but varicolored
pinwheels, which they jousted high into the of wind in hopes of
spreading a message of global peace.
Gilroy – Children dressed in kimonos, mariachi hats and pants, and flamenco dresses poured out into the Las Animas playground. In their hands were not bags to fill with candy, but varicolored pinwheels, which they jousted high into the of wind in hopes of spreading a message of global peace.
The Las Animas Elementary School students were participating in the United Nations International Day of Peace Sept. 21 as part of their year-long program they call “peace builders.” The events, assemblies and monthly recognition focused on nurturing an inclusive community will pay off, not only in reduced conflict within the school, but in all areas of achievement, Principal Silvia Reyes said.
“I think that being positive about who you are and the good things that you do always brings positive results, no matter what you do – socially, academically, whatever,” she said.
The students carried this message with them as they circled the playground in grade order.
Some children skipped, other children sang and a few students wielded their pinwheel as a conductor’s baton, swishing it through the air to hear the blades slap at the stick.
Las Animas students were joined by students and adults in more than 200 countries who also participated in the event on the same day.
“I think it’s exciting because there are so many people who want peace,” said 9-year-old fourth-grader Alea Furushiro, who wore a brightly colored kimono.
The students emphasized that their work was not done, but that the event was a solid first step.
“We need to keep on spreading the peace on and then one day the peace will go on earth,” 9-year-old fourth-grader Sydney Flynn said.
Resource teacher Nancy Becker, who organized the school event and sported a white, lightweight robe from Bahrain known as a djellaba, said taking that first step early was important.
“We’re looking at our future,” she said. “If we don’t start talking about peace with our children, we’re missing an opportunity.”
Small groups of third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students will take weekly classes that discuss what it means to nurture a peaceful community.
In addition, all grades will research a specific component of this process and present it to the rest of the school at a monthly assembly.
The program might take instructional time – which teachers and administrators said is a precious resource given district and state emphases on standardized testing – but it is well worth the expenditure, Reyes said. Education is about more than teaching material on tests, she said.
Students need this early direction “so that when they get older, they can make the right choices and be ethical people,” she said.
