Last week, second grade students at Tyrone Elementary School took part in the international art and literacy project, “Pinwheels for Peace”.
The students created their own pinwheels in art class with messages of peace on them. The pinwheels were all unique and each student was asked to write their thoughts about war and peace, tolerance and living in harmony with others on one side. They then decorated the other side, drawing, designing and coloring it to visually express their feelings.
They then placed the pinwheels in the grassy area in front of the elementary school on September 21, International Day of Peace. The theme was “Whirled Peace”.
Pinwheels for Peace is an art installation project started last year 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 2005, groups in over 1,325 locations throughout the world were spinning pinwheels on September 21. There were approximately 500,000 pinwheels spinning throughout the world on that day.
Locally, elementary art teacher, Ann Yaniello, coordinated the Pinwheels for Peach project at Tyrone.
The project is non-political and according to a press release, “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.”
For more information about this project, visit www.pinwheelsforpeace.com.
