It was a holiday weekend for Bainbridge schools, but for some students, the campaign for peace never rests.
Students of various ages, some as young as 3, crafted letters, drawings and signs at Commodore Options Elementary School to carry in the fifth annual Student March for Peace in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day.
Led by Odyssey teacher Anne Willhoit, this was the fourth year the march has taken place, and the second since the COVID pandemic.
“This helps kids to practice raising their voice so that they can let everyone know what they care about,” Willhoit said. “Kids must know they have power and can make change.”
The event grew significantly since last year, Willhoit observed — about 110 attendees. She started the march as a way for kids to learn the power of taking action for their beliefs, and to grant parents an opportunity to talk to their kids about serious topics.
The first half of the event, letter-writing, took place in the cafeteria. Soul music and anthems of positivity played over a jubilant crowd of families decked out in cold-weather gear. Willhoit provided inspiration, art supplies, and the addresses of various political offices, from the Bainbridge Island City Council to the president of the United States. Student’s letters ranged from global to local in scope.
Fifth-graders Willa Bang-Knudsen and Vega Jolley wrote to the City Council to propose a change to the roundabout on Madison Avenue and Wyatt Way. To deter cars from driving over the low central circle, Vega suggested adding kids’ handprints to the cement as a permanent art installation “so they don’t run us over.”
Georgia Saint Clair, a fourth-grader, wrote to President Biden to implore him to send funds to the BI School District to alleviate its budget shortage. Georgia encouraged kids to support their school district as well, and mentioned she had been fundraising herself by just knocking on doors in her neighborhood; she said she raised $500.
Billy Baxter and Sonali Siddaiah, third-graders, wrote to Vice President Kamala Harris about their concern for deforestation of the Amazon rainforest and melting polar ice caps. Billy’s parents, Bill and Lynda Baxter, expressed their gratitude to Willhoit and the school for providing an uplifting environment for kids to practice political action in honor of MLK.
Bearing freshly inked signs and posters with messages like “Stop Wars, Make Peace,” “Keep Nature Healthy,” “Let’s Help” and “Respect and be Kind,” the procession of students and families made its way down Madison to the Winslow Post Office. After placing her letter in the mail slot, one third-grader shared that the lesson of the day stuck with her.
“Peace means everyone is in harmony,” she said. “It means a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart.”
