Students at Greenfield Community College are known for being active in their community and concerned for the greater world around them. Over the years, students have shown their desire for peace and in recent years, have been holding regular peace vigils at the labyrinth outside the east building. Now, the college has a visual reminder to everyone how important peace is to the community at GCC.

This summer, Greenfield Community College erected a 12-side pole that reads "May Peace Prevail on Earth," on each side in 12 different languages. On Sept. 21, the GCC Response Initiative and students in the Peace and Social Justice Studies program will dedicate the Peace Pole during a ceremony celebrating the International Day of Peace, which was initiated worldwide by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Abbie Jenks, a professor in the Social Science department at Greenfield Community College, believes that there are better ways to solve the world's problems than war. She created the Peace and Social Justice Studies Liberal Arts option at GCC last fall because she felt that bringing peace education into the forefront was something she could do. "I'm a strong advocate of becoming active in these issues and not just studying it," she said. "One of the many ways that peace can become more visible and viable is having a Peace Pole."

The Peace Pole Project was created by the nonprofit organization The World Peace Society. According to its website www.maypeaceprevailonearth.com, 200,000 Peace Poles have been dedicated in over 190 countries to date. GCC's Peace Pole was erected by the duck pond, which is between the main building and the east building. "It's a nice area by the grass. People can sit by it if they want to," Jenks said. "It's a meditative place now as well as a visual reminder of peace." The dedication will be from noon to 1 p.m. There will be poetry readings as well as musical performances, including a song written by one of the students in the Peace and Social Justice Studies program. Doves will be released after a moment of silence. The public is invited to join GCC in this celebration. For more information, please contact Jenks at 775-1127.