The Pinwheels for Peace project, established seven years ago by Monarch High School teachers Ann T. Ayers and Ellen McMillan, has grown from 500,000 pinwheels spinning in 1,000 locations, to over 3.5 million pinwheels spinning in over 30 Broward schools and over 3,000 other schools and sites across the United States, Canada, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia.
The goal of the project is to demonstrate that peace is more than just a word. Students and other participants decorate pinwheels and, on the back of the pinwheels, write what peace means to them.
At Monarch High (5050 Wiles Rd., Coconut Creek), the pinwheel project will be part of "10 days of peace" that will begin at 8 a.m. on September 12 with a remembrance ceremony for those who died on September 11th , including the first responders and soldiers who died because of the events of that day. Following the ceremony, the students, wearing wristbands containing the names of the victims, will place 3,000 American flags on the school's campus. The event will also include a multimedia presentation focused on making peace in our schools, our lives and our communities.
Other events during Monarch's "10 days of peace" include: Becoming a Better You, a project aimed at increasing self-esteem in our teens, a clothing drive, "Beads of Good Deeds," lawn painting, peace affirmation pledges, an anger-management workshop, an anti-bullying debate, chorus and band presentations and art installations. Curriculum during the week will include anti-bullying and peace subjects.
On September 21, which is the International Day of Peace, at 8 a.m., classes will begin planting over 7,000 pinwheels on the campus. At 7 p.m. that evening, a Concert for Peace will be held that will feature choruses from Monarch, Coral Springs and Stoneman Douglas high schools. Recording artist, and former Broward County student, Casley, will sing Love Each Other, a song he wrote for the Pinwheels for Peace project.
Among the other 30 Broward schools taking part in the Pinwheels for Peace project is South Plantation High School (1300 Paladin Way, Plantation). That school held a remembrance ceremony on this morning (September 9). The making of pinwheels will be a follow-up to that event. The school's Student Government and Peer Counseling Programs are coordinating the Pinwheels project at South Plantation, with the goal of quadrupling the number of pinwheels students will make and plant at their school, from 500 last year to 2,000. Students are slated to begin planting their pinwheels at 7:45 a.m., on September 21.
ABOUT BROWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) is the nation's sixth largest public school system and the largest fully accredited district with over 234,000 students in 231 schools and education centers and 76 charter schools. For more information about BCPS, visit (www.browardschools.com). Follow BCPS on Twitter (@Browardschools). Find us on Facebook at (www.facebook.com/browardschools).
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