MPI Displays Peace Tree at State Capitol

To mark Hawai'i's inaugural Peace Day (September 21), students of the Elementary School, Middle School and National Junior Honor Society put together a bamboo peace tree flowing with origami cranes. Cranes were folded by the students.

Pictured are Mrs. Melvina Kurashige and Dr. Dee Priester with the peace tree in front of the State Capitol Auditorium. The public is welcomed to the inaugural ceremony September 21 from 5:15 to 7:30 p.m.. The event is sponsored by the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Spark M. Matsunaga Institute for Peace (MIP) in partnership with the State of Hawai‘i.

Hawai'i is the first state in the nation to annually celebrate its own Peace Day, which is celebrated around the world as the United Nations International Day of Peace. Introduced by Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu, the Peace Day bill was signed into law by Gov. Linda Lingle on April 18, 2007. More information about Peace Day can be found at http://peace.oceanit.com/index.php

All week, students folded, strung and hung origami cranes to get the tree ready for display. Mrs. Melvina Kurashige and Mr. Todd Jinbo spearheaded this project.

Posted on September 21, 2007 1:33 PM | Permalink