The Unveiling of the MSGH Peace Pole: Bringing more than people together; gilding a historical school tradition instilling a life-long virtue of peace.

Every year, along with millions of people around the world, the MSGH community gathers to celebrate the International Day of Peace in September.  It is a day to commit to peace above all differences. At MSGH, Peace Day is celebrated with music, singing, and dancing. It's celebrated with joy and intentionality. This much-loved MSGH tradition honors Dr. Maria Montessori’s vision of Peace Education.

During our Peace Day celebration on Friday, September 20, we unveiled MSGH’s Peace Pole that was generously donated by Steve Ligon, a treasured former staff member, and his wife, Kristina Gunnerman-Ligon. Steve carefully crafted the Peace Pole out of Easter Hemlock, a native Connecticut wood. Though the sides may not be perfect on this hexagonal pole, the committed labor, the passionate dedication, and the abundance of support brought the MSGH community together and created an unbreakable bond of peace and tradition.  They believe in Dr. Montessori’s vision of Peace Education and feel this Peace Pole is a beautiful symbol of this vision.

A quote from Steve, “Creating a peace pole is really hard work, perhaps similar to the hard work required for creating peace in a family, a classroom, a neighborhood, a community, between adversaries, throughout the world. It takes a tremendous amount of effort, and it requires the help of many and buy-in from everyone.  The peace pole was not exactly as I had imagined--it didn't have the clean, straight lines that I strived to achieve.  Its sides are uneven and a bit wavy.  There are imperfections, yet it is a beautiful expression in its own way.  Peace is never perfect.  It's difficult to achieve and the journey is long and full of unexpected twists and turns.  It will likely never look like what was originally planned, and that's okay.”

The very first Peace Pole was built in Japan in 1976. Today there are over 250,000 Peace Poles around the world. MSGH is honored to have one of our own, especially as we celebrate our 60^th year: marking this as an important part of our history. Every Peace Pole bears a special message on it: “May Peace Prevail on Earth.” MSGH's Peace Pole has two plaques with that message: one in English and one in Sign Language. Each year, on Peace Day, we will continue to add this message in a different language. We are so grateful to Steve and his family for this incredible addition to our West Hartford campus. “May Peace Prevail on Earth.”