LOCAL

CIS students spreading peace at school

Todd Beane Your Voice Correspondent
Students at Cedar Grove Middle School, posing with Principal Michael Hobbs, display the Peace Poles they made. [CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

SOUTHPORT -- Communities In Schools 21st Century Community Learning Center (21 CCLC) students from Cedar Grove Middle School designed and created wooden poles for the Peace Pole project. The three finished Peace Pole art pieces were presented to CGMS Principal Michael Hobbs and will be placed around school grounds.

After learning about the Peace Pole project, the CIS 21st CCLC after-school art teacher asked students to think about an image or word that signified peace and meant a great deal to them. Students were given materials to create an image or use the impact word that signified peace. The students worked independently and in teams to place their creations on the wooden Peace Poles.

A Peace Pole is a monument that displays the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in the language of the host country as well as displaying the saying in other languages. Peace Poles were first created by Masahisa Goi in 1995 in Japan.

The Peace Pole Project today is promoted by the World Peace Prayer Society as well as other groups and individuals around the world. The first Peace Poles outside Japan were constructed in 1983. Since then, more than 100,000 have been placed around the world in over 180 countries.

CGMS Peace Poles created by the CIS 21st CCLC students are placed around school campus for the public, teachers, staff, and other students to enjoy. With recent events of school violence being so common, the Peace Pole Project helps remind us to work together to better our world as much as possible and “Let Peace Prevail on Earth”.

21st Century Community Learning Center Afterschool Programs provide academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools. The program helps students meet state and local student standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and math; offers students a broad array of enrichment activities that can complement their regular academic programs; and offers literacy and other educational services to the families of participating children.

For more information about the CIS 21st CCLC program, call Joann Shanley, 21st CCLC project director, at 910-253-5327, ext. 1542 or visit www.cisbrunswick.org.

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