Students install Six Peace Poles at Carl Junction Junior High School-Joplin, Missouri – USA

September-2014

Since last September, seventh- and eighth-graders in the school’s art class and National Art Honor Society have been painting positive and colorful messages, symbols and animals on  six Peace Poles. Sunday was the International Day of Peace, so students installed the project when they returned to school Tuesday.

Carl Junction Junior High students pose with “peace poles” they installed Tuesday in front of the school. The project began last September and was part of an international peace pole mission that represents unity and friendship

Art teacher Elizabeth Cosby said students spent about 175 hours working on the project before and after school, on the weekends and sometimes during class.

“It’s kind of emotional, because I got a chance to see their process, see how much they grew through the process of creating, and now I have several that are at the high school level who participated,” Cosby said. “To see them come back today and be a part of this continues to show how much it still means to them.”

Cosby said some of her students compete in an international peace poster competition, and usually one student wins. But she wanted her students to participate in something together, and the Peace Poles were an ideal project!