Children can sense when things are off in the world. The Sunset Heights Elementary School students wanted to come together as a community to focus on the idea of peace at home and peace in the world because students had been asking difficult questions about the war in Ukraine.

We had to do something. The war in Ukraine is having a devastating impact and the news each day is terrible. We had to figure a way to take action.

Planning for Peace Week began in early March and came together quickly, focusing on concepts and activities that young children can wrap their minds around.

For instance, the front entrance to Sunset Heights is decorated with handprints of the students to symbolize the coming together in unity as “many hands, one community” of Sunset Heights Elementary.

In the spirit of unity, Sunset Heights dedicated each school day the week of March 21 to a letter in the word peace and to collecting spare change for Change for Change donation.

P = Monday: Peace Begins with Me!

E = Tuesday: Everyone wears Tie-Dye!

A = Wednesday: A Day of Action!

C = Thursday: Colors of Compassion!

Kindergartners wore blue

First graders wore yellow

Second graders wore red

Third graders wore green

Fourth graders wore orange

Fifth graders wore purple

E= Friday: Exercise for Peace and Change for Change Collection

On Friday, April 1 classrooms gathered together for Sunset Spirit Day, wearing blue and yellow because, our colors are blue and yellow, and it just so happens to be Ukraine colors.

The Sunset Heights Elementary school community collected $314 in change to donate to UNICEF, the humanitarian aid organization based in New York City, specifically for Ukraine.

According to unicef.org, UNICEF has supported children and families in Ukraine for eight years and has sent recently more than 1,000 tons of emergency supplies to Ukraine. To learn more about UNICEF humanitarian efforts to support the people and the children of Ukraine, log in to unicef.org.

Erin Anderson is principal at Sunset Heights Elementary School. She may be reached at Anderson@nashua.edu.