Peace festival for elementary students

Calgary, Alta.

Seek peace and pursue it, says 1 Peter 3:11. How do we instill in our children a desire to be proactive agents in creating peace?

Around Remembrance Day, Menno Simons Christian School here takes a full day from the regular schedule to focus on peacemaking.

If you had peeked into our school on November 5 you would have seen a hub of activity centring on our year-long theme, "Building community-being community." Throughout the day, a variety of games, videos and crafts helped students think about how we create peace in our community.

Students worked cooperatively to untangle knots, to put their names on a giant scrabble board, and to get their group from one end of the gym to the other using cardboard pieces in a simulation game. They also made friendship bracelets that they delivered to a student in another grade, and reflected on The Wounded Spirit, a video by Frank Peretti.

Menno Simons school has as its motto, "Working together to become PEACEMAKERS." The PEACEMAKERS acronym stands for: Participants, Enthusiastic, Accepting, Christ-like, Encouraging, Mentors, Aspiring, Kind, Excellent, Responsible, Servants.

This acronym, displayed on a large sign in the school atrium and also in each classroom, is a constant reminder of the goals of our school community. The peace festival helps students to see that peacemaking is an active verb. We are called to take action if we see injustice or disputes in our own community or around the world.

Menno Simons school includes preschool to grade nine. It is our hope that our students will become life-long peacemakers.-From school release