A simple art project has blossomed into a decorative addition to Linscott Park and an opportunity to connect students and teachers at a time when remote learning is the rule.
Hadley, Clarke, and Stanley students stopped by their schools when the academic year began earlier this month and picked up packets containing a stick and material needed to make a pinwheel.
The fruits of their efforts line the pathway leading to the park gazebo with the wheels spinning in the wind. Proud parents have shared pinwheel pictures on social media.
“It’s been really nice for the kids during an isolating time and it’s an important way to start the year,” said elementary school art teacher Rachel Eisenberg. “It was a great way to come together for the kids to really feel like part of something.”
Pinwheels for Peace, according to its website, was started in 2005 by Florida high school teachers Ann Ayers and Ellen McMillan as a way for their students to express their feelings about what’s going on in the world and in their lives.
“The project was quickly embraced by their students and the entire school community and by millions of art teachers, teachers, parents, children and adults who desire peace in our world,” stated the site.
Eisenberg and fellow Swampscott art teacher Erin Dilisio helped organize the town’s 2018 Pinwheels for Peace display marking International Peace Day with music and food.
COVID-19’s onset meant stripping down the 2020 celebration and Eisenberg and Dilisio were determined to use the pinwheels to make a connection with their students.
They organized pinwheel kits for distribution at schools with simple instructions for students to assemble the pinwheels at home. Students customized the pinwheels with their own designs and color choices and brought them to Linscott Park.
“It’s been a chance to be connected with the kids. It meant a lot to me,” Eisenberg said.
School Committee Chairwoman Amy O’Connor’s children participated in the 2018 pinwheel celebration and she said the project has meant a lot to students and to the town.
“It’s one of those lovely community things that make the whole community stop and look,” she said.
