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Garden of peace
By DONNA WINCHESTER, Times Staff Writer ST. PETERSBURG -- A thought had troubled Cregg Mitchell since Sept. 11. If he and his classmates at Mount Vernon Elementary had worked faster to get out their message of peace, would it have made a difference? The director of an international peace organization put him at ease. The garden that Mitchell, 8, and his colleagues conceived, designed and created is an important legacy, Ann Healy told the children last week. The Radiance Technique International Association honored each child with a "peace patch" -- a white dove on a field of royal blue -- for their activities last fall during International Peace Week. The award-winning project began with a child's observation. Carol Dinsdale and her eight students -- emotionally handicapped, from kindergarten to third grade -- were on their way to music class when they noticed that the area outside music teacher Joyce Thomas' portable looked bare. They wondered if there was something they could do to make it more attractive. "They said, "We've planted flowers and plants in the courtyard. Maybe we could do something here. Mrs. Thomas would be happy to come out on her porch and see flowers,' " Mrs. Dinsdale said. She helped the children map a plan for the 25- by 30-foot area for principal Valerie White's approval. Then they started an aluminum can recycling drive to raise money for plants and mulch. In the meantime, Mrs. Dinsdale, who has taught special education students at Mount Vernon since 1991, reminded them that International Peace Week was approaching. To commemorate the week, they signed peace pledges and wrote essays about the things they were grateful for. They began an "Imagine the Day" activity. Each morning, they stood in a circle with their hands joined, imagining a peaceful day with friends and family. Squeezing their eyes shut, they pictured themselves acting respectfully instead of pushing and shoving and using angry words. They were eager to share their activities with the rest of the school and planned to do so during morning announcements the week of Sept. 17. But Sept. 11 came first. "Their first reaction was, "Oh no, we didn't get our message out fast enough,' " Mrs. Dinsdale said. "At first I thought how silly they were to think that what we do as a class of eight emotionally handicapped students at a small elementary school in St. Petersburg would have any effect on the tragic events of Sept. 11. But then it hit me, how amazing it was that these primary children felt so empowered to spread a message of hope and peace." She encouraged them to carry out their plans, and she supported a new idea they had for the sunny spot outside the music portable. "They said, "Maybe it needs to be a peace garden because there are a lot of people that need a place they can go for peace right now,' " Mrs. Dinsdale said. "They said, "We need a place to go where you can just sit and all your cares will roll off your back.' " The first visitors were butterflies. They arrived while the milkweed plants were still in their plastic pots. As the children planted begonias, impatiens, cannas and viburnum, members of the school community began noticing the garden. Mrs. Thomas brought her music students outside for sing-alongs. Mike Richardson, the behavior specialist, conducted student conferences there, finding the garden a friendlier place to work through behavior issues than the timeout room. Mrs. Dinsdale noticed that her students, whom she describes as easily frustrated children who have difficulties making social connections, looked forward to watering and weeding their garden. They pulled together as a team, taking pride in what they came to think of as their gift to the school. And then on Jan. 22, Radiance Technique came to Mount Vernon, 4629 13th Ave. N, to praise the children. After receiving the information that detailed the children's peace week efforts and their garden project, director Ann Healy decided to present their awards in person. "I was really very touched by what they had done," she said. "These are the kinds of kids who probably don't win a lot of academic achievements. (This is) a way that they can see themselves as winners, which of course they are." Along with the patches, Healy distributed stickers picturing green continents swimming in blue seas. "She told the children, "I bet if you looked down on the planet you could see this garden,' " Mrs. Dinsdale said. Awarding peaceful alternativesRadiance Technique International was established in St. Petersburg in 1980 as the American Reiki Association. Originally involved in stress management, the organization created the radiant peace division 11 years ago to promote peace education projects. Each year, the nonprofit organization encourages elementary school children nationwide to consider peaceful alternatives to conflict by inviting them to submit essays, art or special projects with a peace theme. It distributes between 7,000 and 10,000 "peace patches" as a reward to the children for their developing awareness of peace. The organization also invites senior citizens to participate in an awards program in which they reflect on peace in their lifetimes, discuss ways to make and keep peace alive, and look at peace in their family relationships. Radiance Technique International sponsors an annual Day of Radiant Peace in the United States and six other countries. Celebrated on Sept. 22 in 2001, the date has been changed to March 22 to make it more accessible to schoolchildren. For more information about the organization, call executive director Ann Healy at 347-2106 or visit the Web site, www.trtia.org.
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