The Intown Academy, a Kindergarten-8th grade Atlanta Public Schools (APS) charter school in the Old Fourth Ward, dedicated a peace garden on Friday, September 20th, to commemorate the United Nations International Day of Peace observed on September 21, 2013.
Students recited a peace pledge and listened to fellow students sing “Let There Be Peace on Earth.” The peace garden includes a peace pole inscribed with the words “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in English, French, Spanish, and Chinese.
“As a school, one of our goals is to be an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School,” said Dr. Alieka Anderson, assistant principal of The Intown Academy. “The peace pole is a tool that our students can use to communicate our emerging love and understanding for all children around the world regardless of race, religion, and national origin. As a community, our goal is to promote peace and nonviolence among our students and families and to teach our students better ways of solving problems through peace in their neighborhoods and the Old Fourth Ward.”
The peace garden is a National Wildlife Federation (NWF) certified schoolyard habitat with a bat house, bird bath, bird feeders, bird houses, and pollinator plants. The Peace Garden installation was part of a larger community service day at the school whereby parents, students, and over 30 volunteers from Ernst &Young spread playground mulch, painted classrooms and hallways, and installed the peace garden. The Ernst &Young volunteers selected the school as one of many projects across the city as part of its national Connect Day of Community Service.
