Media-Providence Friends’ Students Mark the 13th Annual International Day of Peace

Each Fall, as students settle back into school routines, Media-Providence Friends School celebrates the International Day of Peace with thousands of schools and organizations around the globe by participating in community-building activities and reflecting about what peace means in classrooms all over campus. This year found students preparing in advance for the day by practicing mindfulness exercises, creating personal mandalas and brainstorming lists of ways to make their classrooms calm, friendly places to learn. Then, on the International Day of Peace itself, students walked a large labyrinth that had been installed for the day in their partner pairs.

A labyrinth is a single pathway that leads to a center point and then back out by retracing the same path. Unlike a maze, there are no dead ends or forks in the path, making it impossible for walkers to get lost or trapped. The twists and turns in the path can symbolize the twists and turns of life itself, providing an excellent openning for reflection. The labyrinth MPFS students walked is modeled after the Chartres Cathedral's in France which dates from 1220. Many students reported feeling calm, relaxed, happy and peaceful after their walk.

Peacemaking is at the heart of the mission of Media-Providence Friends School all year long and includes every member of the community: students, faculty, staff , parents and trustees. Following the “Peaceable School” construct, at MPFS children are taught that a nonviolent and diverse society is a realistic and desirable goal and that they have the capacity to create the change they wish to see in the world.

In Friends’ small classes, negotiation, compromise, creative problem solving, consensus decision making and tolerance are learned amidst an environment that embraces diversity and encourages listening and open communication. Conflict resolution instruction is taught discretely and is also intentionally integrated into all aspects of the curriculum at each grade level from the PreK-3 class through 8th grade. By the time of graduation, an MPFS student will have received more than 430 hours of explicit instruction in peacemaking.

Media-Providence Friends School is a 136 year-old Quaker day school, located in the heart of Media, providing children aged 3 through 8th grade a safe learning environment and engaging, values-infused academic program. Learn more at www.mpfs.org. Fall is the time to apply for the 2014-15 school year. The school will host Open Houses for prospective parents on October 4 and November 1 at 9 AM. To inquire, or to schedule a personal tour call 610.565.1960 x104.