Local elementary schools receive peace poles

Felida Elementary School, Fruit Valley Community Learning Center and Jefferson Middle School all received planted Peace Poles donated by the Rotary Club of Vancouver during the week of Jan. 27. They were dedicated at all-school assemblies in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. The poles each say “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in English, Spanish, Russian and Chuukese. According to the rotary, a Peace Pole is a 6-foot-tall obelisk. They were created in 1955 in Japan following destruction from World War II. In the last three years, the Rotary Club of Vancouver has installed more than a dozen poles. When a Peace Pole is planted, a certificate is presented that states that 10 trees will be planted in Africa in the students’ honor.