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 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.”
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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.
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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]
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