techdirections February 2013 : Page 24

Building Peace Poles Inexpensive Woodworking Project Great for Middle and High School Students Peace Poles can be made with assorted woods and graphics applied as paper labels or screen printed. By John Roccanova roccanova@taconic.net allowed and “May peace prevail on Earth” is trademarked by WPPS. The Peace Pole activity works well with a wide variety of age groups and T HE World Peace Prayer Society (WPPS) has at its core the message: “May peace prevail on Earth.” This axiom appears on the roughly 200,000 Peace Poles that are planted at private residences, schools, in parks, and at other public places worldwide including at the Pentagon, the Pyramids in Egypt, and on Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world. Numerous smaller Peace Poles can be found in homes, ofﬁces, and class-rooms. Peace Poles, large and small, are sold to raise money for WPPS’s mission of promoting peace. WPPS is a nonreligious, not-for-proﬁt, nongovernmental organization as-sociated with the United Nations Department of Public Information. The phrase “May peace prevail on Earth” was written by Japanese author, poet, and philosopher Ma-sahisa Goi. The Peace Pole Project began in 1975 as a way to bring people together around a world-wide call for peace. WPPS allows nonproﬁt groups like schools, scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs, and YMCA’s to make “mini John Roccanova is a technology education teacher, Webutuck Central School, Amenia, NY. Peace Poles” like the ones I describe in this article. Individuals may also make them for themselves or to give as gifts. Commercial use is not Middle school students cut miters using teacher-made miter boxes. High school student ripping 2 × 2’s on the band saw 24 tech directions X FEBRUARY 2013

Building Peace Poles

John Roccanova

Inexpensive Woodworking Project Great for Middle and High School Students THE World Peace Prayer Society (WPPS) has at its core the message: “May peace prevail on Earth.” This axiom appears on the roughly 200,000 Peace Poles that are planted at private residences, schools, in parks, and at other public places worldwide including at the Pentagon, the Pyramids in Egypt, and on Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world. Numerous smaller Peace Poles can be found in homes, offices, and classrooms. Peace Poles, large and small, are sold to raise money for WPPS’s mission of promoting peace. WPPS is a nonreligious, not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information. The phrase “May peace prevail on Earth” was written by Japanese author, poet, and philosopher Masahisa Goi. The Peace Pole Project began in 1975 as a way to bring people together around a worldwide call for peace. WPPS allows nonprofit groups like schools, scouts, Boys and Girls as either an individual or production project. I’ve used it with middle school students using hand tools and as an introduction to power tools with high schoolers. In these times of tight budgets, a big plus associated with the activity is that Peace Poles can be made at minimal cost. At the middle school level, we’ve made them with construction grade woods, basic finishes, and paper labels. My high school students received a donation of hardwoods, so they made “upscale” versions. Jim Dugan, who works with the Peace Pole Project, came to our school with his silk screen and supplies to help students print messages on their Peace Poles. Best of all, all the students I’ve worked with enjoyed making Peace Poles and showed pride in their finished products. Students who didn’t want to keep a Peace Pole for themselves were pleased to give them as gifts to friends, staff, or family. My high school Production Systems class made enough Peace Poles for each student in the class to have one of their own and one to give away, plus several to be given as “Peace Awards” at the school’s senior graduation awards ceremony. On request, staff at WPPS will be glad to mail schools a certificate naming a student receiving a Peace Award at no cost to the school. Making the Peace Poles Table 1 shows the procedure chart I use with middle school students for constructing Peace Poles. My students use wooden miter boxes that I’ve made from plywood and 2 × 4s with 90° and 45° slots. You can also use commercial miter boxes. Wood is held in the boxes using clamps or wedges. I demonstrate all procedures, making safety a priority, and provide a grading sheet (Table 2) that students can refer to so that they know my expectations for the processes and finished product. We print the labels on card stock and cut them with a paper cutter. (See Fig. 1 for labels that students can copy.) They are decoupaged on the Poles using Mod Podge (an all-in-one glue, sealer, and finish) which is available from art supply and craft shops, as well as online. We’ve found that water-based polyurethane can also be used with excellent results. If your students do not find labels in the language they want to use, WPPS can provide additional options. You can purchase ready-made felt circles for the bottom of the Peace Pole, but it’s much less expensive to make your own. We use a punch from a grommeting kit or simply trace a penny or washer on a piece of felt and cut it out with sharp scissors. As mentioned earlier, students have the option of staining and/or polyurethaning their Peace Pole. In middle school, we use only water-based finishes. These provide nice results while being environmentally friendly, easy to apply and clean up, and fast drying. Use of a hair dryer will speed the drying process. My Peace Pole construction procedure for the high school Productions Systems class is similar but with power tools, silk screening, and multiple pieces being processed. The four top edges of the base can be routed for a more decorative look. Please let Jim Dugan at The Peace Pole Project know if you and your students take on this project. He will send you a certificate stating that 10 trees will be planted on the African continent in honor of your students’ work. You can email him at jim@worldpeace.org. For more information about the Peace Pole Project, visit www.peace poleproject.org.

Previous Page Next Page

Publication List
Using a screen reader? Click Here