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PINWHEELS Perchance?

Sayville Schools Celebrate Peace on the Planet with the SHANTI Fund

For the past three years, Sayville School District has celebrated programs of peace with the Shanti Fund, a Long Island-based organization. 

In Sanskrit, "shanti” means “peace,” and the aptly named organization has been promoting awareness of peace and tolerance islandwide. While based upon the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, the Shanti Fund fosters ideals that are common to all cultures and beliefs.

For eleven years, the Shanti Fund oganization has been encouraging students from schools, the Girl Scouts, the Boy Scouts, and other cultural organizations to seek peaceful and sustainable solutions to the troubles of the world. In 2009, the successful PATHWAYS TO PEACE involved 11 school districts, 82 schools, and thousands of students across Long Island.

This year, with the target date of October 1, 2010, Shanti Fund volunteers included many more schools throughout Long Island to celebrate PEACE ON THE PLANET. They hope "to instill a concept of peace on tender minds, develop various ideas at the middle school level and solidify at the high school level, we may prepare Long Island students better aware of tomorrow’s world.”

IN SAYVILLE, during the week of September 27 through October 1, the schools responded with individual and shared events.

The Elementary Schools either showcased Pinwheels for Peace, organized food drives, wore white—a sign of peace—shirts, or focused on class projects that emphasized peace.

Among some of the activities at the Middle School, the following were underway:

1. LOTE Classes made large peace signs with the words “Peace on Our Planet” translated into Spanish and French.

2. Artistic students created and planted pinwheels as part of the Pinwheels for Peace Project

3. Writing Lab and Communication classes wrote essays for the World Peace-Day Essay Contest, sponsored by Suffolk Peace Groups, which could win a $100 donation to the students' favorite charities.

4. Seventh-grade advisory read about the life of Ghandi and selected memorable quotes.

5. Students were encouraged to compose peoetry on the subject of peace in English classes.

6. Select musical students played and chorus students performed LET THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH, both during the school day and at Back to School Night.

The High School created a powerpoint presentation (see link below) and organized activities to promote awareness of the Shanti Fund's  “Peace On the Planet” theme in the following ways:

• Interact Club decorated the LOTE hallway with an array of peace signs made from flags from around the world, while the LOTE Department offered extra credit for creating posters, poems, essays, and reflections.

• Club United held a food drive for Island Harvest and created a “Peace Wall Activity”.

• Art Department and Art Honor Society created “Pinwheels for Peace” that were displayed in front of the building in the shape of a peace sign.

• Interact Club organized a Bake Sale and funds were donated to charity.

• Our WSAY Radio Station announced the Youth Pledge of Nonviolence during AM announcements by our History Club students.

• History Club selected five (5) students for the Dennison Building Program held on Saturday, October 2nd.

• All participating faculty and students wore white.