They spoke across continents in Polish and English. But they also speak in a common language — the language of peace.
The conversation — which included performances — took place via live telecast Friday between New Haven students gathered at Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School’s main stage and students from Gimnazjum Nr 2 in Wielun, Poland.
It was the International Day of Peace.
Daniels eighth graders, Cowiya Arouna and Janissa Vidal perform their “Rap for Peace.”
The live telecast brought together students from New Haven’s Barnard, Beecher, Fair Haven, Betsy Ross, John C. Daniels, and Coop schools . It featured music, dance, and reflections about the importance of peace.
Ariela Martin Photo
Betsy Ross seventh and eighth graders dance to “See the Flame” by Howard Shapiro.
“Peace is about forgiving other people, instead of fighting with them. We need to understand people and approach them gently and with love,” said one of the Polish junior high school students on the live telecast from Gimnazjum Nr 2. The Polish students also shared their thoughts, in both English and Polish. The city of Weilun was bombed by the Germans in 1939 at the start of World War II.
The local masters of ceremonies were Brandie Marks and Jordan Ransom (pictured), seniors at Hillhouse and winners of a History Day competition for Connecticut. Following the Polish school’s presentations, Marks and Ransom introduced New Haven schools Superintendent Reginald Mayo and explained the “peace quilt” that was on display.
Coop’s Choral Ensemble.
Beecher third- through sixth-grade students sang “If I Had a Hammer” and “Zum gali gali”, a Hebrew song. Fair Haven eight- graders performed a rap for peace and hip hop dance, Betsy Ross seventh- and eighth-graders danced to “See the Flame”, and John C. Daniels eighth graders performed a “Rap for Peace.” As the finale to the Day of Peace performance and celebration, Coop High School’s Choral Ensemble performed “For the Sake of Our Children”.
Ariela Martin, a student at Cooperatives Arts & Humanities High School, is an Independent contributing writer.
In addition to New Haven and Wielun, Poland, children in several other cities around the globe were paired up to jointly celebrate the International Day of Peace:
Plonsk, Poland, and Hiroshima, Japan
Volgograd, Russia, and Oswiecim (Auschwitz), Poland
Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia, and Mouphou, Cyprus
Mexico City, Mexico, and La Paz, Bolivia, and Chicago, Illinois USA
Cambridge, Massachusetts USA, and Kragujevac, Serbia
The streaming programs from the various cities were recorded and can now or soon be viewed on the www.iapmc.org website.
All these live streaming programs were arranged by the International Association of Peace Messenger Cities. New Haven is a member of IAPMC and holds the Presidency. Technical coordination for all the cities was provided by members of the Interactive Media Department at Quinnipiac University. In New Haven teachers and directors of art, music, dance and social studies played central roles as did technical staff of the New Haven Dept. of Education.
Interest in promoting and celebrating peace among children and adults is global.