Nola Ching, the art and religion teacher at St. James Catholic School, had her students honor International Day of Peace on Sept. 21 by having them create “Pinwheels for Peace.”
“Peace starts with yourself,” she said to her class. “Peace can start one step at a time.”
The International Day of Peace provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create simple acts of peace on a shared date. It was established by a United Nations resolution in 1981. The first Peace Day was celebrated in 1982. In 2002, the General Assembly officially declared Sept. 21 as the permanent date for the International Day of Peace.
Ching had each student at St. James make a pinwheel out of paper and, on their pinwheel, share their feelings about peace, tolerance, war and living in harmony. One pinwheel read, “When there is peace, there is no war.”
Another read, “I am thankful for peace.”
On Monday, the students took their pinwheels to the school’s front lawn. As the fourth grade class sang songs of peace, the students looked for a place to plant their pinwheel.
Every pinwheel had the peace sign in the center.
“Planting our pinwheels will stand as a symbol of our peace for one another here at St. James,” said Ching

Contributed by Tricia Flynn