On Thursday, Sept. 17, HHS students gathered in their student leadership classes to discuss the concept of peace. Everyone had the opportunity to make a pinwheel, which will be placed on the hill in front of the school for World Peace Day.

Juniors Chris Estes and Zoey Fox, and senior Venezza Perez were interviewed about their thoughts on the activity.

Q: What did you get out of this activity? 

VP: Artistic-ness. I guess it’s fun.

CE: That there was a ceasefire in Afghanistan on the 21st every year. Of September!

ZF: I guess I learned that people at this school tend to think about the problems or whatever in our school as like, really simplified. So this whole idea of encouraging peace building is really great. Peace is fantastic. But it’s not as though people walk around like, thinking “You know, I think I’m not gonna be peaceful today.” So it’s not as obvious as some of these things make it out to be. But I do think that it helps raise awareness.

Q: Why is peace important to you?

VP: You don’t have problems with people, you get along better with people.

CE: People don’t die on peace day. I mean, some do, but not nearly as much. Dying is not good.

ZF: Well, obviously it’s a really good thing to have, but personally I really hate violence. I’m against the death penalty and all this other stuff because I just think that the idea that somebody is going to physically harm you reflects that they think that they’re superior to you somehow, and it’s really not equality. It bothers me when people are violent because I feel like it’s a major inequality issue.

Q: What do you think is the significance of the pinwheels? 

VP: They rotate, and peace makes the world go round.

CE: The souls of our lost ones blow the pinwheels with their peaceful-ness of being dead.

ZF: I’m not sure why they chose pinwheels, but I do kind of like the idea. There’s some poetry in it because the wheels are kind of out and they just weather the elements. They’re passive.

Q: Why do you think teenagers should care about peace?

VP: The way we live right now is how were going to live when we’re older. We’re the future.

CE: We’re reckless, not peace-like, and we need to change.

ZF: Everybody should support peace.

Gallery • 6 Photos

Ellie Plass

Choir students sit on the floor to work on their pinwheels.