It started 27 years ago by one man - Jeremy Gilley, a british filmmaker. More than a quarter-century later, it is an internationally recognized event, declared by the United Nations as an official day of peace, one even in the small community of Jasper, people are celebrating.

On Monday, Sept 21, L’Ecole Desrochers celebrated Peace Day in their own way, through art, environmental thoughts and actions, and the simple symbol of a sunflower – a symbol of peace around the world.

“What’s really exciting about Peace Day is that it transcends all barriers. It transcends language, it transcends religion, it transcends all the barriers, countries that sometimes lead us to war or anger. And Peace Day can be celebrated by anybody,” Kim Wallace, a teacher at L’Ecole Desrochers, told the students.

Peace Day is also a day of cease-fire, she said. Both personal and political, and we are very blessed and fortunate to not have to deal with war in our town, but we can also make it a personal pledge to cease fire with our friends and family, and say kind words.

Also among the speakers was Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland, who reminded the students that Peace Day isn’t just about one day, but about practicing peace every day. He said the biggest threat to peace is attitude, and if you want to have peace, you need to have a positive attitude.

“If you want a peaceful world, then all you have to do is be peaceful. Be peaceful every single day. So it’s not just one day to be nice to your teacher, be nice to your teacher every day. Be nice to your friends every day. Think about peace as a value that lets you do everything else,” Ireland said.

In conjunction with Peace Day, the school also helped launch the green ribbon campaign to end nuclear power in Alberta. Art Jackson, community representative for the Coalition for a Nuclear Free Alberta, explained that the historic, popular symbol of peace – the circle with a line going up and down and two coming down from the middle – stands for nuclear disarment, a symbol of getting rid of nuclear weapons.

“We are very, very fortunate that we have choices, and we can use these symbols to promote that information for you guys. And what do we do to help continue that? We have to be instructed by our teachers and our parents to guide us, and our municipal leaders that will lead us in the direction this town is taking.”

According to Jackson, 80 per cent of Albertans have said they believe in renewable energy. “We need to promote green, renewable sources, efficiency, and the policies of any nuclear disarment, which are already happening around the world.”

After the presentation, students were given a bag of sunflower seeds to be planted later in the year as a sign of peace. Wallace said that she hopes her class can plant them together and watch them grow so everyone can see them.

During Ireland’s speech he commented on how his sons end every telephone conversation with the phrase ‘peace out dude.’ 

“Think about it, think about that if you want to be peaceful all the time. Practice that, do it every day, follow Mahatma Gandhi, be the change that you want to see in the world. Be peaceful, that’s all I have to say. Just get out there, be peaceful. Peace out.”