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\u201c<\/span>We weren\u2019t just talking about helping people; we actually got to do something to help.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n October 28, 2026 – <\/b>Every year, the International Day of Peace brings people around the world together to celebrate peace and inspire action toward a more compassionate, connected world. This year, schools participating in WPDI\u2019s Domestic Harmonizer Program embraced the theme, \u201cInvest in Peace: For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day,\u201d turning its message into meaningful moments of creativity, connection, and kindness.<\/span><\/p>\n Across 12 schools, more than 2,000 students and 84 educators celebrated through activities that showed peace isn\u2019t just an idea, it\u2019s something we can build together.<\/span><\/p>\n At Lake Center Middle School, nearly 180 students connected over board games, cards, and video games. At Rivera Middle School, seven student peer mediators led activities for 450 students, turning a Peace Chain and collaborative puzzle into lessons in kindness, empathy, and conflict resolution.<\/span><\/p>\n At North Park Academy, students planted succulents and made pinwheels, reflecting on how peace needs care to grow. For one student, caring for a plant became a way to think about nurturing peace: <\/span>\u201cYou really need to plant it with love and being careful with the plant, kind of like with keeping peace.\u201d <\/span><\/i>Another student reflected,<\/span> \u201cI really liked today\u2019s activities. Peace is something you have to work on everywhere.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n At Paddison Elementary, more than 120 students painted colorful Peace Rocks for their school library. The students enjoyed the creative expression, with one sharing, <\/span>\u201cI really enjoyed painting rocks! Not only are they relaxing but it makes our school look Awesome!\u201d <\/span><\/i>Another student captured the day\u2019s message in three simple words:<\/span> \u201cPeace Rocks! We need peace in this world all day, everyday!\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n At DNA Prep Academy, students, staff, and families put compassion into action by preparing lunch bags with handwritten notes for people experiencing homelessness and organizing a clothing drive. As one student put it, \u201c<\/span>We weren\u2019t just talking about helping people, we actually got to do something to help.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Meanwhile, Cypress High School students made peace bracelets and also decorated rocks, using the activities as a chance to slow down and get creative. One student shared,<\/span> \u201cI learned that doing calm activities like a hobby can make you more peaceful.\u201d <\/span><\/i>Another said, <\/span>\u201cI really liked the lunch time activity because it gave me a place to go that was chill and I could relax while making a bracelet.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.wpdi.org\/app\/uploads\/2-5.png\")
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cWe weren\u2019t just talking about helping people; we actually got to do something to help.\u201d October 28, 2026 – Every year, the International Day of Peace brings people around the world together to celebrate peace and inspire action toward a more compassionate, connected world. This year, schools participating in WPDI\u2019s Domestic Harmonizer Program embraced the…