by Editorial Staff and students

Every year on September 21, the world celebrates International Peace Day. On that morning at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, the entire boys and girls divisions of Developing Virtue Secondary School gathered in the Wonderful Words Hall to listen to two special guest speakers. They were Carol Ruth Silver and Marion Kwan, who in the 1960’s participated in acts of civil rights, respectively through Freedom Rides and Delta Ministry in Mississippi. One 7^th grade student reflects: I am sure lots of teenagers in the world think that History is boring. But I think that it is fascinating. … It awed me that she had joined a community named ‘Freedom Riders’ and at the same time putting her life in danger. … Both of these ladies really awed and inspired me by doing things that not many people in the world would have done.

Another 7^th grader says: I learned that something I have been taught since third grade was actually very serious. I learned that it is quite a journey to fight for what you believe in. I believe, children of this generation have a lot of power and impact on the world, so I think, we children should do something about this huge conflict. We should spread our thoughts and positivity throughout everyone, so that violence, wars, and discrimination will stop and love, peace, and happiness will be brought to everyone.

After listening to their speeches, girls’ division students, joined by the elementary girl students, partook in the Peace Walk to the Mountain Gate, chanting Om Mani Padme Hum along the way, as a way of promoting peace, letting the auspicious energy of that chanting reverberate in all directions.
Peace day clip 1

Peace day clip 2

Peace day photos