Upon entering Keystone Montessori School, you feel a sense of peace and calm, unlike the conventional spiritedness of many traditional schools. In Keystone’s courtyard the central, light pole has been transformed into a beautiful, new peace pole. Traditionally, a peace pole is a monument that contains the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in different languages.
The new peace pole at Keystone has a slightly different essence and has clearly become a focal point and conversation piece for the school and its many visitors. The top portion of the peace pole has the word peace written in 12 different languages. The bottom, cylindrical portion is a colorful tile mosaic of the world. The colors and design for the world are based off the primary world map that is used in the children’s house.
The creation was an collaborative effort, which consisted of Keystone staff and students, ranging from youngest to oldest, including both children house (ages 3-6) and toddlers, ages (18 months-3 years), along with adolescent, upper and lower elementary classrooms. The children also contributed their choice of languages to be hand painted onto the peace pole.
