In today’s world, peace needs to become more than just a word. On September 21, 2007, Spring Branch Middle School of Spring Branch ISD in Houston, Texas plans to take part in an International art and literacy project, Pinwheels for Peace by “planting” pinwheels with messages of peace in the front of our school around the flag pole.
Spring Branch Middle School Advisory Classes will create pinwheels. As part of the creation process, the students will write their thoughts about "war and peace / tolerance/ living in harmony with others" on one side. On the other side, they will draw, collage, etc. to visually express their feelings. The students will assemble these pinwheels and on International Day of Peace, September 20st, 2007 Mrs. Greene’s classes will "plant" their pinwheels outside the front of Spring Branch Middle School as a public statement and art exhibit / installation.
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 2005, 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. Last year, 2006, over 1 million pinwheels were spinning in over 2,350 locations, including the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, the Middle East, Africa and South America. Locally, art teachers in Spring Branch ISD will be coordinating the Pinwheels for Peace project this year.
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.”
Tomorrow, keep a lookout for the pinwheels - the spinning of the pinwheels in the wind will spread thoughts and feelings about peace throughout the country and the world! We know that numerous other schools in Spring Branch are participating, including Hollibrook Elementary and Northbrook Middle School.