We are very pleased to announce that Centralia Regional Library District is now home to Peace Flags created by the students at Centralia Junior High, for the ArtWavEs Project! These Peace Flags were created in loving memory of Gavin P. Lutz (1999-2017) and can be found hanging in the Junior Room upstairs in the Library’s Youth Department (accessible by stairs and elevator).
The ArtWavEs Project first started in Hawai’i, by former Centralian Dr. Marya Mann. Over the last few years, many grade school and high school students in Hawai’i have participated in Peace Flag workshops to create diverse, beautifully painted silk flags and display those flags in their communities. These workshops are based on the ancient worldwide tradition of making celebratory silk flags. The 6th graders and SOAR (Scholastic Opportunities for the Academically Resourceful) 8th graders of Centralia Junior High are the first school on the mainland to participate in the project! These Peace Flags will be part of a larger movement, a “global expression of our commitment to our own inner peace and to peace in the world.”
“When we make art, we encourage constructive communication. When we make art together, we find we have many different ideas, viewpoints, dreams, and visions. We learn that we are able to talk about and appreciate our differences. [sic] When we gathered for our 3 sessions we each painted our favorite colors and images on 2 silk flags – one for the student to keep and hang as a reminder that they can paint their own reality and the second flag will be displayed in our community to spread peace and happiness.”
This project was made possible by the Gavin Lutz family, the Home to School Connection Program, Susan Minor, and the ArtWavEs Project. Video
Thank you to the co-facilitators Susan Minor and Kathy Donnelly and the volunteers Jane Yates, Kittie Beaty-McMillian, Carrie Perkins-Schniker, Lindsey Miller, and the 8th Grade SOAR Class, for the commitment and ongoing contributions to our community and for allowing Centralia Regional Library District for being a part of this project. We congratulate you and your school for being the first school on the mainland to participate and are truly honored to have been considered to display your flags!
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Read more about the SOAR Students’ work:
Centralia Sentinel Story on the Peace Flag Project (paywall)
CJHS 6th Grade Students Raise More than $1,000 for Feeding Ukrainian Refugees
Centralia Junior High SOAR Program Receives Grant to Start School Wide Recycling Program
