Orange Team Participates in Peace Signing
By Cameron V., Orange Team

On Friday the 19 th , 6 th graders on the Orange Team met in the auditorium of MMS to make their voices heard in the struggle for world peace. They did this in the form of a peace convention in which delegations from all the countries of the Middle East made speeches and either signed, or abstained from signing a peace treaty.

The reason that the annual happening is held in the guise of a peace meeting is because it forces everybody to participate. After the speeches were presented, the students watched a movie and ate a Middle Eastern style lunch, as well as listening to a guest speaker. Mrs. Bird, the Orange Team's Social Studies teacher, spearheads the event every year, the reason being that she believes, “Nothing is more important than world peace.”

The event was originally scheduled to be held at Weed Beach , but impromptu rain caused a change of venue to the indoors. Sixth graders and their parents helped prepare for the peace conference by making flags, headbands and tabuli, a Middle Eastern parsley salad.

Teachers supported it by being leaders of groups that included several delegations. Many people signed the peace treaty but a small minority didn't. The guest speaker was a native of Turkey and the father of a pupil participating in the conference.

The Orange Team theme for the year is the Eastern Hemisphere . Their first unit of study is the Middle East . Mrs. Bird feels that it is important to learn about the Middle East , “So that everyone can form an opinion.” She also thinks that, “Sixth graders are old enough to understand these events. If you don't understand this, then you won't go far in life.” Watch out for other special days such as Africa Day and Down Under Day.

Click here for more pictures from the Orange Team!