Carroll Catholic Students plant Pinwheels of Peace

 

[September 24, 2022] 

In today’s world, peace needs to become more than just a word. On September 22, 2022, the Student Council at Carroll Catholic School in Lincoln took part in the international art project "Pinwheels for Peace" by “planting” pinwheels with messages of peace in front of the school.

Pinwheels for Peace is an art installation project started in 2005 by two Art teachers, Ann Ayers and Ellen McMillan, of Coconut Creek, Florida, as a way for students to express their feelings about what’s going on in the world and in their lives. In the first year, groups in over 1,325 locations throughout the world were spinning pinwheels on September 21st - there were approximately 500,000 pinwheels spinning throughout the world. At last count, in 2019, over 4.5 million pinwheels were spinning in over 3,500 locations, including the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, the Middle East, Africa, and South America.

Locally, Mrs. Kiara Coyle Junior High Science & Math Teacher, and the Student Council Advisor with the assistance of Mrs. Craig, the school’s administrative assistant coordinated the Pinwheels for Peace project with the Student Council.

This project is non-political – peace doesn’t necessarily have to be associated with the conflict of war, it can be related to violence/intolerance in our daily lives, to peace of mind. To each of us, peace can take on a different meaning, but, in the end, it all comes down to a simple definition: “a state of calm and serenity, with no anxiety, the absence of violence, freedom from conflict or disagreement among people or groups of people.”

The students from pre-school to eighth grade created pinwheels of all shapes and sizes.  As part of the creative process, the students wrote their thoughts about "war and peace, tolerance and living in harmony with others" on one side. On the other side, they drew and painted, to visually express their feelings.

The Student Council assembled these pinwheels and on International Day of Peace (actually, the day after due to the rain) they "planted" the pinwheels near the entrance of the school.

[Jennifer Craig]