O'Dea's Pinwheels in the Newspaper

Students in O'Dea Core Knowledge Elementary School sing 'Peace Like a River' during the school's observance Tuesday of International Day for Peace at 312 Princeton Road. About 380 students at the kindergarten- through fifth-grade school cut, colored and decorated the pinwheels in Art class. The pinwheels were placed around the front entrance of the school early Tuesday morning. / Rich Abrahamson/The Coloradoan

In honor of the International Day of Peace, the front lawn of O'Dea Core Knowledge School is spinning a little brighter than usual today.

Students at the school decorated the lawn with about 300 pinwheels Tuesday as part of the school's annual Pinwheels for Peace project, kicking off the commemoration with a school-wide singing.

"I've got peace like a river... I've got joy like a fountain... I've got love like an ocean in my soul," the students sang as their hand-decorated pinwheels spun in the wind.

Ryan Joyal, assistant principal and fifth-grade teacher at O'Dea, said he hopes that by celebrating the International Day of Peace each year with his students, they will "internalize it" and make peace part of their daily lives.

"That's part of the song, that they internalize the message of the day and live it in their families, their classrooms and everything they do," Joyal said. "We're trying to spread peace one kid at a time."

Pinwheels for Peace is an international initiative that began in 2005 with 500,000 pinwheels. Now, the project has grown to include more than three and a half million pinwheels throughout the world in 2010. O'Dea has participated for three years, Joyal said.

"It's a fun day for the kids to create some art and send wishes for peace through the whole world and community," Joyal said. "We're a community (at O'Dea). It's
As a teacher, Joyal said it’s rewarding to watch his students learn about peace and share it with their classmates.

As a teacher, Joyal said it’s rewarding to watch his students learn about peace and share it with their classmates.

“Today’s a special day,” he said. “They love to come out here, they love to see their work and they love to sing together. It’s powerful when all of us are singing together as a community, especially with a message as important as peace.”

Several other schools in the district, including Harris Bilingual, Shepardson Elementary, McGraw Elementary and Bennett IB World School also are participating in Pinwheels for Peace today.