Waples Mill Students Join Global Chalk4Peace Event

Waples Mill Elementary students joined a global campaign Wednesday, using chalk to draw their visions of world peace.

Chalk4Peace, which started in Arlington in 2003, encourages young artists to put together a creative presentation that utilizes the theme of peace.

Waples Mill has participated in the event for about five years, and the annual event has become more and more popular both at the school and worldwide. This year, about 130 Waples Mill students, third- through sixth-graders, signed up to create chalk drawings in front of the school.

"We ask them to really think about what peace means to them and to go outside of the typical peace sign," said Melissa Weber, a PTA volunteer who has organized the event for the past three years. "We ask them to think about their drawings ahead of time."

Marilyn Miyamoto, the head art teacher at Waples Mill, said she likes this event because it gets kids thinking about their own definition of peace.

"It's especially important in the time we live in to think about peace," Miyamoto said. "There are many kids who have moms and dads in the military, so they deal with this sort of thing every day, and this gets them to think about it."