Peace Starts With Us:
Celebrating International Day of Peace at CDS
At Carrollwood Day School, peace is more than an idea. It is something our students are encouraged to understand, practice and carry with them into the world.
On September 21, our Lower School and Early Childhood Center communities celebrated International Day of Peace, joining schools and communities around the world in recognizing the importance of peace, understanding and connection.
For CDS, the day held special meaning as an IB World School. The IB mission is rooted in the belief that education can help create a more peaceful and better world, encouraging students to become caring, open minded and principled members of a global community.
International Day of Peace gives students an opportunity to see that peace begins with the choices they make every day- how they treat others, listen to different perspectives, solve problems, show empathy, and contribute to their community. In an IB school, the day is especially meaningful because it brings the IB mission to life. Students are not simply learning about the idea of creating a better and more peaceful world; they are practicing the attitudes and actions that can help make that possible.
At CDS, celebrating this day also reinforces the belief that even our youngest learners can make a positive difference. Whether students are singing together, creating messages of peace, contributing to a Peace Tree, or reflecting on what peace means to them, they begin to recognize that their individual actions contribute to something larger.
“Celebrating International Day of Peace gives our students the opportunity to live the IB mission—to listen with empathy, value different perspectives, take meaningful action, and recognize their role in creating a more peaceful world.” - Lana Vargo, PYP IB Coordinator
The celebration began in the Lower School during Morning Opening assembly. Dressed in white shirts as a symbol of peace, students gathered together to sing a peace song and reflect on what peace means in their own lives and communities.
Their learning continued throughout the day as students took their message outside, using sidewalk chalk to transform the areas in front of their grade level suites with words, pictures and symbols representing peace. Each creation offered a glimpse into how our students understand something that can sometimes feel like a very big idea.
For our youngest Patriots in the Early Childhood Campus, the celebration took a different form. Each grade level created something special to contribute to a Peace Tree, which will be displayed in the central Big Room. As each class added its own piece, the tree became a collective representation of the many ways our youngest students can understand and express peace.
These experiences are a natural extension of the IB education at CDS. Throughout the IB continuum, students are encouraged to consider different perspectives, develop empathy and take meaningful action within their communities. International Day of Peace gave our students an opportunity to put those ideas into practice through conversation, creativity and collaboration.
From a song shared at morning opening to chalk drawings created side by side and a Peace Tree built one classroom at a time, today was a reminder that meaningful change often begins with small actions.
At CDS, we believe our students can make a difference in the world. And sometimes, that starts with something as simple as choosing peace.