The Peace Squad had a big day today! Students who joined the Peace Squad this year had their big end-of-the-year celebration and Initiation Ceremony! Students met Mrs. Geddy and Mrs. Barnett in the library, where they received sweet goodie bags, donated by Whole Foods. Thanks Whole Foods! We left school an hour early to go to AMF Keglers Bowling Alley! The staff at Keglers were super efficient in getting us shoes and 9 bowling lanes, allowing us to bowl for an hour and a half and have lots and lots of fun.
After our bowling adventure, we surprised the kids by stopping at Kohr Bros on the way home! Thanks so much to Kohr Bros who treated us all to a free ice cream cone. The kids (and adults) were very happy.
After spoiling our appetites with dessert before dinner, the students THEN chowed down on a fabulous dinner, very generously donated by Eppies on the downtown mall. We had chicken, mac and cheese (everyone's favorite), rice and beans, corn bread, and pumpkin bread. Thank you so much for your generosity, Eppies! You filled our stomachs and our hearts.
After all of this fun, families and Walker staff joined us for our initiation ceremony in the Walker auditorium. Each student got up in front of the crowd to deliver a short speech, sharing what they learned throughout their year in the Peace Squad. Many students performed in You-Tube skits to demonstrate the 6 approaches (which can be seen under the "How Can I Help" tab of this website). At the end of our ceremony, our students shared their reasons for being in the Peace Squad, and they recited a pledge. Check out the footage of the Pledge here:
And watch the kids talk about why they choose to be in the Peace Squad:
And... following the ceremony, we had a giant cake donated by Sam's Club. We are so lucky to have such great support in Charlottesville. None of this could have happened without the help of Kerry and Emily Rock, who have so generously donated $2000 over the past year. We love you Kerry and Emily Rock! We hope you enjoyed your thank you cards, made with love by the Peace Squad.
I am very proud of this group of Peace Squad students, and all of the Peace Squad students over the years. I am so fortunate to get to work with them and it thrills me to see such cool kids sharing such a great message. Go Peace Squad!
I am very proud of this group of Peace Squad students, and all of the Peace Squad students over the years. I am so fortunate to get to work with them and it thrills me to see such cool kids sharing such a great message. Go Peace Squad!