Peace and Justice Week is an annual week that gives Prep students an opportunity to focus on issues of injustice within the community. This year, the theme was “Care for Our Common Home”. The focus was to understand how environmental justice issues intersect with other justice issues. There were a series of activities and events throughout the week, from movie screenings and presentations to a clothing swap put on by the Environmental Alliance. The goal was to educate the Prep community about the importance of creating a peaceful and just community. Many members of Global Justice Collation (GJC) and Environmental Alliance were involved in running activities and workshops on community day, which is a very important part of Peace and Justice Week.
Elle Holley ‘26 recently joined GJC this past year and has enjoyed connecting with others who share the same passion for justice as her. The main thing she learned from being in GJC is that although goals of peace and social justice often seem big or unachievable, there are many small steps that can be taken to achieve them. During Peace and Justice Week she ran the “Slices for Good” workshop with two members of the Pagliacci team who talked about Pagliacci’s goals to become a more sustainable company. Holley said, “I liked being able to show and teach other students about things that the club is very passionate about.” She loved being able to participate in such an important week and was happy to help make a difference in the community by actively participating in community day.
Ms. Miller, who leads GJC, had been working on Peace and Justice week for months to ensure it was educational and fun for the Prep community. She planned activities, like collaborative poster-making where students responded to questions about their favorite places on earth, and what caring for our common home means, which students enjoyed participating in.
Miller was also the coordinator for community day. The goal of Community Day was for students to learn from people in our community that are doing work around ecological issues and find ways to take small action themselves. She said, “I hope students learn that no matter what you decide to do professionally when you grow up, you can find ways to live your values and be people for and with others who care for their common home and those in it.”
Peace and Justice Week was a fantastic way for students to learn what they can do to create a more peaceful and just community. Whether that is being mindful of how our choices affect the world around us or teaching others about important issues, even the smallest thing can make a difference.
