Perfect Pinwheel Weather 

for Peace Celebration in Sayville Schools

Each year with pinwheels, peace signs, and peace poles, Sayville School District joins other Long Island schools to celebrate a culture of peace. This year’s annual event, sponsored in conjunction with Gandhi’s birthday by the Shanti Fund since 2000, has coordinated activities with 23 other Long Island districts to bring an awareness of peace to the leaders of tomorrow—our youth—with the theme: "Youth for Peace."

During their Cherry Avenue art class, fourth- and fifth-grade students (Chad Moccio, Kayana Kelsey-Jones, Brigid Manning, Anthoula Paloubis, Chris Mulligan) and Art Teacher Robin Laxton created a mural that was to be signed by the "entire" school. The students’ signatures demonstrated their recognition and commitment to bringing peace to their families, school, communities, country, and their environment. “This is a beautiful way to start a new school year, celebrate our building, and recognize these students as the future peace leaders,” Art Teacher Robin Laxton remarked.

Although Sunday, September 21, 2014 marked the International Day of Peace, the Cherry Avenue community celebrated Pinwheels for Peace day on Monday, September 22—a perfect pinwheel-weather day—creating enormous pinwheels during art class to represent each of the eighteen classes at Cherry Avenue. These were displayed at the front entrance of the schools where the cool breezes gently spun them throughout the day.  All visitors were greeted by the whimsical array of messages for peace.

The High School also enjoyed the lovely breezes for their Pinwheel display. Again this year, Mrs. Deb Urso, Mr. John Verschure, Mrs. Jennifer Berotti, and Mr. Evan Hammer organized their art students and classes to commemorate the International Day of Peace by planting  hand-crafted pinwheels, inscribed with personal messages for peace, in the shape of a large peace sign on the lawn in front of the auditorium. The students also decorated the Peace Box and spent time writing thoughts and ideas of peace in their sketchbooks and journals.

To promote the idea of peace in the Lincoln Avenue community, Art Teacher Mr. Richard Michaels and the Fourth graders created large pinwheels with colorful designs and messages of peace. “By having the children work in small groups of three to five,” Mr. Michaels said, “the students had to collaborate with peaceful solutions and agree on the visual themes created in the pieces." 

To quote by Mahatma Gandhi: “If we wish to create a lasting peace, we must begin with children.”