By Tess Malijenovsky

On Wednesday, September 21, Shell Point Elementary students created a public exhibit of peace for International Peace Day. Taking part in an international art installation project called Pinwheels for Peace, kids made pinwheels of all colors, shapes and sizes, expressing their feelings with paints and collage. On each pinwheel students wrote their thoughts on topics such as tolerance, living in harmony with others, and war and peace.
Pinwheels for Peace was an art installation project created by two art teachers, Ann Ayers and Ellen McMillan, of Coconut Creek, Fla., in 2005. The teachers wanted students to express their feelings about what’s going on in the world and in their lives in a compelling visual statement that could be re-created around the world. Last year more than 3.5 million pinwheels were whirling in over 3,500 locations, including the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, the Middle East, Africa and South America.
This year, Rebecca Lines and Mary Fisk brought the Pinwheels for Peace project to Beaufort, and Shell Point Elementary students let all their thoughts and feelings about peace come together and spread throughout the air. Whether it’s associated with conflict of war, nonviolence in our daily lives or simply peace of mind, whether you made a pinwheel or saw one, we can all participate in the freedom from intolerance.