Nearly 800 pinwheels displaying creative designs and messages of peace were installed Thursday, Sept. 21, on the front lawn at the High Tech High School campus at Liberty Station, formerly the Naval Training Center.
The colorful ornaments, which were created by students from Explorer Elementary, High Tech Middle and High Tech High Schools, are part of an international project titled Pinwheels for Peace that aims to help children express their feelings on peace and conflict, as well as celebrate International Peace Day.
“It has helped them extend the learning that happens here,” said Jill Green, Explorer Elementary principal. “We try to solve problems in a way that is understanding of others feelings, trying to avoid aggression and hurt. It is important that when the students are adults that they will be able to act in a way that is filled with positive resolution and consideration of each person’s uniqueness and prospective.”
Constructed of heavy duty laminated paper and about six inches in circumference, the pinwheels were then attached to wooden dowels and were displayed all day Thursday.
Students were allowed to bring their pinwheels home, and some pupils chose to exhibit his or her creation on the elementary school’s bulletin board. Photos of the pinwheel display will be posted on the Pinwheels for Peace website, according to Green.
Two art teachers from Coconut Creek, Fla., created the Pinwheels for Peace project in 2005, and it has taken off around the world, with an estimated 500,000 pinwheels displayed in 1,350 locations on Sept. 21 last year, according to the Pinwheels for Peace website.
The project was introduced to Explorer Elementary School by art teacher Nita Trocosso, and students have been working on the pinwheels for about three weeks, according to Green.
Although this is the first year that Explorer Elementary and the High Tech Schools have participated, Green said the administration plans to further develop the project in years to come.
“We would like to encourage interaction between different age groups, so that older and younger children can interact more,” Green said. “I think its something we’ll definitely do every year. Hopefully, the world will be in a better place this time next year.”
International Peace Day was declared on Sept. 21, 2002, by the United Nations General Assembly to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the international body’s inception.
For more information about International Peace Day, visit www.worldpeace.org/ peaceday.html.
More on the Pinwheels for Peace project can be found at www.pinwheelsforpeace.com.
