Leading for Peace

“It’s that special time of day again: twelve noon. Time for our Peace Prayer. Would you please, in your own way, if you wish, say a prayer for peace?”

Every day we heard those words read over the intercom, sometimes by our principal, sometimes our school secretary, often by a student. The words were posted in large print behind the intercom, but most of us didn’t need the reminder; we had them memorized. I announced the Peace Prayer myself more than once.

After the prayer was read, the Peace Bell would ring.

This was in a public school. Granted, it was the 1980s, still the era of the Lord’s Prayer and O Canada each morning. We didn’t study the Bible, though we did celebrate Christmas and Easter. But I don’t remember Christianity being the point.

Peace was the point.

We were still in the Cold War, a time when adults carried the memories of two world wars, and peace was never far from anyone’s mind.

It was also a constant focus of our principal, Mr. Murphy. With his leadership, our school and community created a giant world map in the parking lot, outlined by senior students and volunteers and painted by all of us. We celebrated with a square dance on that map, parents watching from lawn chairs as every grade performed their piece. We danced for peace.

The Peace Bell itself hung in a tower at the front of Madoc Public School, since demolished. Today, it rests in front of the amalgamated Central Hastings School, a reminder of a time when principals stayed long enough to know every child’s name, and likely their parents’ and grandparents’ too.