Middle division students and faculty at Notre Dame Preparatory and Marist Academy gathered near the main entrance of the school today to celebrate International Day of Peace. The community stood before a peace pole, an internationally recognized symbol of peace, installed at the school in 2008. World Peace Day (September 21) is meant to be a day to strengthen the ideals of peace among nations and to consider how to create a more peaceful, non-violent world.
Sydney Newby, one of the 8th-grade students who led the ceremony, asked students to say a short prayer for peace each day as they pass the peace pole, “to help bring peace to our world.” Notre Dame teacher and Marist priest, Father James Strasz, s.m., led those gathered in a prayer of peace during the re-dedication of the peace pole.
Under the direction of chorus teacher Eric Taylor and accompanied on guitar by students Gabriella Bendtsen, Mitchell Housey and counselor, Ms. Kim Smith, the middle division choirs led those gathered in songs of peace. Several students in the middle division, fluent in languages other than English, were asked to say a word or phrase of peace in their mother tongue languages.
In religion classes during the past several weeks, students had discussed ways they would take action to help create peace in our world. Ideas were recorded on blue paper birds of peace, which were placed around the entrance to the school.
Notre Dame has been celebrating World Peace Day since the installation of their peace pole in 2008.
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.