Long Beach Students Piece Together Meaningful Sculpture

Submitted by Long Beach School District

Long Beach Middle School commemorated International Peace Day by opportunity to welcome an outdoor peace sculpture into the interior courtyard.

Eighth-grade students surrounded the newly unveiled sculpture, which was signed by staff members pledging their allegiance to Peace One Day, with foliage donated by art teacher Laura Swan and guidance department staff member Kathy Casey.

The eighth-grade class has experienced an uncommon set of challenges during their time in middle school, as they just began sixth-grade when Superstorm Sandy devastated the area. They were given the special honor of planting greenery around the garden sculpture as a symbol of a fresh start, stronger school community and an ongoing commitment to peace.

For the week leading up to this activity, Principal Dr. Michele Natali led students in sharing daily announcements from the United Nations “Poems of Peace.” The sculpture was created by Swan with the assistance of technology teacher Brian Pross and was installed by members of the buildings and grounds department.

According to Peace One Day, which was founded by Jeremy Gilley, “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.’”

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