What is peace? That's the question each and every one of the 365 students of John Winthrop Middle School was asked. On Sept. 21, when buses first rolled up the long driveway leading to the school ready to dispatch the students aboard, nothing out of the ordinary could be detected. It was simply another day at John Winthrop, but by the time the bell rang announcing the end of the school day, that hill radiated a very different feel.

Sept. 21 is the international holiday Peace Day. The John Winthrop community decided to voice the message of peace on this day by participating in the Pinwheels for Peace project established in 2005. Each student created a pinwheel decorated with his or her views about peace, tolerance, living in harmony, and war and, on Peace Day, the pinwheels were all planted outside John Winthrop to suggest thoughts of harmony to whomever happened to wander by. In 2011,

3.5 million pinwheels like these were planted worldwide, and John Winthrop is proud to add its contribution to this year's total.

Sofia di Tommaso is an 8th-grade student at John Winthrop Middle School