West Chicago school's colorful display spreads message of peace

WEST CHICAGO – Laughing, excited students at Indian Knoll Elementary School in West Chicago marched into the sunshine Friday morning, waving colorful pinwheels they had created.

The students planted the pinwheels, penned with messages of peace, to spin among day lilies and beneath tree-shaded protection in front of the school.

The students and staff then gathered around the flagpole to raise their voices with songs of peace.

On the heels of the anniversary of 9/11, the kindergarten through fifth-grade classes participated in Pinwheels for Peace, a project implemented by art teacher Kirsten Snodgrass seven years ago. Pinwheels for Peace is an art installation project started in 2005 by two art teachers in Florida as a way for students to express their feelings about world events and what they are experiencing in life, Snodgrass said.

“We had been doing a bucket-filling project, where the children would fill their buckets with acts of kindness,” she said, adding it was part of the social-emotional learning curriculum.

Social-emotional learning is a process where students learn skills such as self- and social awareness, self-management and responsible decision making, according to the West Chicago Elementary School District 33 website. In 2012, the district received a certificate of achievement for its social-emotional learning work.

Snodgrass felt the Pinwheels for Peace project would blend well with what the school already had in place, she said.

This year, the students diligently worked on their art projects for several weeks and also rehearsed four songs about peace they would perform during the peace ceremony in front of the school.

Fifth-grade student Laura Correa, 10, thought the bright colors made the pinwheels look like spinning rainbows, she said.

“I think it’s fun and cool because people driving by the school will see how colorful and creative (the pinwheels) are,” said Ethan Ross, 10.

For new Indian Knoll music teacher Robyn Kimmel, this was her first experience with the pinwheels project.

“I’m just so proud of the kids,” Kimmel said.

She had selected four songs for the students to learn over several weeks. The students sang “Peace Round,” “Peace Like a River,” “Peaceful” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Fifth-grade student Ariadna Luna, 10, said this, too, was her first experience with the pinwheel project.

“I’m new in school,” she said. “It was cool and fun. The best was when we sang.”

Teachers and students weren’t the only ones at Indian Knoll who were new to Pinwheels for Peace this year; so was Principal Matthew Bohrer.

“It’s been a long-standing tradition here, and the students have always been active in the process,” Bohrer said. “I’m just glad to be here for part of it.”