Manheim Township High School held the official dedication ceremony for its Peace Pole on April 9. MTHS Interact Club worked with the Sunrise Rotary Club of Lancaster to fund and install the pole. The Rotarians, Interact Club members and high school administrators were in attendance.

Interact Club is the youth extension of the Rotary. Both organizations work to build more prosperous and unified communities. The Peace Pole Project has been adopted by the Rotary and aims to foster peace and harmony among diverse cultures.

The first Peace Pole was planted in Hiroshima, Japan at the end of WWII by Masahisa Goi. This movement began in response to global warfare and instability and aimed to promote actions towards global peace. The Peace Pole Project expanded in the 1980s and there are currently over 200,000 Peace Poles globally. Manheim Township is now the home of the first pole in Sunrise Rotary Club’s district. This encompasses Lancaster, York, Dauphin and Juniata counties.

Written on the Peace Pole is the phrase, “May Peace Prevail on Earth.” This is written in eight different languages to represent the eight most commonly spoken languages in MTSD. Native speakers of English, Spanish, Swahili, Dari, Turkish, Burmese, French and Haitian-Creole from MTHS read the phrase aloud at the ceremony. Speeches were also given by the Rotary Club President, District 7390 Governor, Interact Club President, Vice President and Finance Officer.

The Peace Pole is a monument to represent the broader goals of world peace, liberation, and global harmony. In its prominent location at the entrance of the high school, the Peace Pole is meant to inspire attitudes of connectivity and peace in each student and staff member that passes it. It is a reminder that we each have a role to play in bettering our school, community, and world. The Interact Club and Lancaster Sunrise Rotary hope that this will inspire similar projects within Manheim Township and surrounding schools.