Peace Message Off And Running

By COURTNEY CAIRNS PASTOR The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 12, 2007

Don't confuse peace and harmony with peace and quiet.

Children at Learning Gate Community School participated in a global peace project Tuesday that included guitars, a harmonica and songs. At one point, the students chanted "harmony begins with me" so loudly that several plugged their ears with their fingers.

However, the multipurpose room grew still when Arpan DeAngelo asked students to put their hands on their hearts to feel the harmony there.

"If you get upset with someone or get scared, try to feel a little harmony and peace," he said.

DeAngelo and six other runners came to Learning Gate this week as part of the World Harmony Run, a relay involving international teams that carry torches throughout the world. Updates posted this month on the World Harmony Run Web site, www.world harmonyrun.org, included dispatches from teams in Croatia, Canada and Cyprus.

Runners promote international friendship and understanding by visiting schools, local governments, running clubs and community groups. The U.S. contingency had appeared in Miami, Lakeland, Haines City and St. Petersburg before arriving at Learning Gate on Tuesday. From there, they will go to Austin, Texas, Anchorage, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle before the month ends.

The team's goal is 11,000 miles in four months, covering 100 miles on foot a day. Runners take turns jogging, running and sometimes walking, tracking about 8 to 10 miles each day to contribute to the team's overall mileage.

Manini Nguyen, a teacher from Vietnam, held the torch as the team jogged through Learning Gate's parking lot. She was joined by an Australian, an Italian, three Americans and a Ukranian. They got the students to guess their nationalities by dropping hints about their country - Salil Wilson of Australia hopped to imitate the kangaroos. Banshidhar Medeiros revealed his Hawaiian roots with a loud "aloha."

"Whatever you do, do it with aloha," he said. "Do it with love, friendship, do it with kindness for one another."

Ukranian Katya Krot taught the students "mir," the Russian word for peace.

The group had heard about the school, a public charter school in Lutz, through Lowry Park Zoo and chose it for its environmental focus and emphasis on community outreach, said school spokeswoman Michele Northrup.

Classes prepared for the presentation with songs and artwork. Kindergartners created a paper Earth more than 7-feet tall. First-graders painted peace signs on their cheeks and wore paper peace headbands. Students submitted stacks of paintings of doves. Others appeared in white T-shirts with yellow smiley faces.

Northrup's third-grade son, Christian, read an essay he wrote to the runners.

"All of you help people around the world to get together with other people," the 9-year-old read. "When I grow up, I want to do what you do. If all of you went to every school, they would be so happy."

Reporter Courtney Cairns Pastor can be reached at (813) 865-1503 or cpastor@tampatrib.com.