Students Take Part in a Global Wave of Friendship and Goodwill
Students Take Part in a Global Wave of Friendship and Goodwill
March 11, 2019 at 4:04 PM
Carried around 140 nations over the past 32 years by volunteer runners, the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run relay torch made its way to the Boys’ School last week, to spread the universal message of kindness and peace.
Students from the Boys’ School, Girls’ School and Preschool gathered to warmly welcome an international team of peace runners, led by Tall Black, Tom Abercrombie. The Run is a global relay that symbolises peace and harmony, where runners carry a flaming torch, passing it from hand to hand, heart to heart.
As the visitors ran the torch onto the field, the Boys’ School Kapa Haka group challenged them with the Haka. Girls’ School Chapel Prefect, Anamia Rangihaeata gave a Karakia before the torch was passed over to the Boys’ School Head Boy, William Ormond.
Principal of the Boys’ School, Mr Peter Cassie welcomed the community and international runners, before William spoke about peace on a world scale, reminding us that we can help spread peace by being kind to others. Girls’ School Head Girl, Jaime Chandler, also spoke about peace and how we should exercise it in our everyday lives.
The international runners thanked the Boys’ School for welcoming them and spoke about kindness and inner peace, taking everyone through an exercise to practise feeling ‘peaceful’. To educate their audience more on how to identify peacefulness and kindness, the runners performed skits for students to guess if the ‘intention’ was kind or not. To wrap things up, the runners sang a song and left the students with their motto, ‘Peace Starts with Me’.
To conclude, the runners presented William and Jamie with a certificate and picture to say thank you. The students then formed a circle around the field as the torch was passed. As a symbol of peace, an olive tree will be planted on the school grounds in recognition of the occasion.
THE PEACE RUN
Athlete, philosopher, artist, musician and poet, Sir Chinmoy founded the relay in 1987 and dedicated his life and talents to advancing the ideals of world friendship and oneness. Inspired by the Olympic Flame, the torch is lit in New York every two years before going hand-in-hand with people all over the world. Touched, carried and recognised by some of the most iconic people, such as Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Pope Francis, the torch and run is largest and longest grassroots effort for peace since its inception and still, today reaches thousands of communities – from children to senior citizens.
