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Peace One Day Interactive Program Marks 11th Year Of Student Involvement

photo by Photo Provided Peace One Day banner from Advanced Art Class.

photo by Photo Provided Peace One Day planning group member Emma Beauchemin designed the logo for the over 450 buttons handed out on the September 21st event. The assembly marks the 11th year of student involvement in the international program.

Tuesday September 22, 2015

By Cookie Steponaitis

Peace One Day (POD) has been a student run event for eleven years at VUHS and is marking the 11th year of celebration. The POD committee is comprised of Aly Gebo, Tyler Kepes, Julia Johnson, Nick Lareau, Nora Hubbard, Aaron Gains, Max Ratti, Emma Gardener, Orion Chaput, Shay Pouliot, Alyssa M., Caroline Johnston, Tyrell M., Nora Hatch, Nora D., Megan Rooney, Aliya Hugo, Emma Husk, Hannah Wyman, Jeffrey Stearns, Eric Stolen and Emma Beauchemin, and set out this year to celebrate the September 21st International Cease Fire Day with the creation of a photograph comprised of over 400 students forming a peace sign.
    The movement was brought to life in 2004 by Jeremy Gilley to have a day of Cease Fire and non-violence and has grown into a worldwide movement. During the first year alone with the efforts of Gilly, the United Nations and an army of health workers hostilities ceased for the day in war torn areas like Afghanistan. World health workers were granted safe passage into areas badly cut off from supplies and over 10,000 vaccinations for polio and other diseases were successfully administered.
    The first Cease Fire Day was well supported and successful and Gilley remarked, “Peace One Day is not only about addressing the violence in areas of armed conflict, but that which takes place in our homes, schools and communities. In fact, that is where most violence takes place and that is where we can all play a role. Your actions can help break down barriers between families, regions and can help establish areas of peace.” Young people in Addison County have and continue to build on that challenge and request for action and been involved in many ways since 2004 linking groups and individuals.
The Peace One Day program at VUHS is about 90 minutes in length and brings together the entire school to participate in music, readings, skits and presentations related to helping others find ways to interact with each other in peace. The proceeds from the annual Pies for Peace part of the day this year are being donated towards the efforts of people working to save elephants around the world. Peace One Day is created and run by students representing a collaboration of ages 13-18 and shows how individuals can have an impact and organized teens can get the word out resulting in people engaging in conversation about the concept of peace and kindness at many levels of life.
    “Each year I simply stand in awe of how the teens focus and carry out this event,” shared faculty advisor Lee Shorey. “They take it very seriously and bring together several hundred people to focus on what is possible and how we can all make steps toward a kinder world.”

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