Celebrating Peace in Port Jefferson

From Port Jeff Schools: The entire Port Jefferson School District celebrated the International Day of Peace through activities sponsored by the Earl L. Vandermeulen High School Student Organization.

As part of the observance, Student Organization members decorated school hallways, lockers and classrooms with messages of peace and shared music with positive, peaceful themes that was broadcast over the loudspeaker between classes. Visual arts students districtwide worked collaboratively to create artwork centered around the idea of togetherness and world peace. They worked in a variety of mediums including acrylics, watercolors, colored pencils, pastels and ink to depict Tibetan mandala designs, pin wheels for peace, sunflowers from observation and symbols representative of peace. At Edna Louise Spear Elementary School, first-graders worked under the direction of art teacher Meghan McCarthy and engaged in discussions about what peace means and discovered which colors convey a peaceful feeling as they created pinwheels for peace. Second- and third-graders also had discussions about peaceful moments and used their creativity in their works, and fourth-graders engaged in the art of mandala making. They examined Tibetan monks participating in a mandala making ceremony. This experience helped to improve and inspire their focus and peace within.

Photos courtesy of the Port Jefferson School District