Change takes root with peace trees at Tulip Grove Elementary By MATT ARMES Staff Writer
Students at Tulip Grove Elementary may not know the price tag for true peace at school.
But they're working toward that goal, one penny at a time.
Since the middle of February, students in each of the school's 12 classrooms have been putting their loose change in watering cans located in their homeroom. For each penny donation, students receive a green leaf on which they write messages of peace. The leaf is then added to a paper tree located in the lobby at the school entrance.
"We've been counting our days of peace during the whole school year, which has been almost every single day, and it's really amazing," Principal Brian Baudoin said.
"We have found various ways of spreading the message of being peaceful in our everyday lives, and the peace tree goes right along with that."
Baudoin explained that a "peaceful day" connotes a day in which there are no incidents of physical conflict between students. During morning announcements, students are given a few ways in which they can handle potential conflicts and demonstrate peace.
"We're up to about 120 days of peace right now, so it's virtually every day," he said. "This whole year, we didn't have a fight at school. There's been some pushing and shoving, but the idea of peace is an important message for all of us."
He added, "It's a part of life, and it's how you handle those conflicts. We encourage the students to use words to settle their conflicts."
Baudoin went on to say that the paper tree in the lobby is a visual representation of how vital the message of peace really is at Tulip Grove. When children add more leaves to the tree, they can see the effect of spreading peace.
"The tree is sprouting, and there are hundreds of leaves now," he said. "The kids are so excited to show you their leaves, but they're even more excited about that message."
"When you talk about being peaceful in a way that's proactive, when you face a conflicting situation, you'll have strategies to success," he added. "You want to have your decision to be made ahead of time."
After a few more weeks, the school will take the change collected and purchase a live tree to plant in front of the school as a reminder of the importance of peace.
Baudoin said that the real tree would be planted April 11 during a school assembly. He added that the school is already working with Patuxent Nursery on obtaining a tree, citing their generosity with some of the past projects the school has had so far this year.
"It will be a daily reminder for us, that as the tree grows, the peace at school can also grow," Baudoin said.
