Peace is for everyone.
Peace is songs.
Peace is laughing.
Peace is loving.
-Poem read by a student on Peace Day
For the second year, every student at McNeal Elementary School in Lakewood Ranch gathered to celebrate PEACE. Some held hands, while others held handmade peace signs which they proudly made in class.
All of the Wildcats were wearing their school motto on a t-shirt, “Be Respectful. Be Responsible. Be WILD about learning.” Dozens of drawings lined the front of the school; colorful works of art by young children expressing what peace means to them. One read, “WE ARE ALL ONE.”
International Day of Peace is observed around the world on September 21st. This year’s theme is “Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All.” The administrators at McNeal Elementary School always promote peace and love.
After a sing-a-long to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole, select students read poems about peace. Alexis delivered a recipe: “In order to make Peace Pie you will need three cups of kindness, three-fourths cup inclusion, half a cup of empathy, half a cup of sympathy, and the last thing you will need is a dash of courage… to help your pie rise.”
A second peace pole was also unveiled during the celebration. It’s a work of art called “Kindness Matters”. Several teachers used it as a centerpiece for a class picture today.
Finally, students from Pre-K to 5th grades gathered on the P.E. fields, to stand on a carefully painted line. High above, a drone snapped photos of the peace symbol below. Kids and adults standing as one, shoulder-to-shoulder, proudly holding up their fingers in the universal sign of peace.
Way to go, Wildcats! Way to show the world how it’s done… Peace.
#WeManatee stands for We are the School District of Manatee County. No matter what challenges we face, we strengthen each other when we stand together.
