On April 21, the Interact Club hosted the Peace Pole dedication event as a part of the Festival of Arts at the Preuss Zen Garden from 4:00pm to 5:00pm. This event gathered students, faculty, and staff to commemorate the installation of the peace pole.

Arts Educator/ Fine Arts Chair Teacher Ms. Noorzay states,” This year’s event will be fantastic now that we are in person and I’m excited to showcase the new installation of the peace pole.”

The sidewalk area of E building where the Zen Garden was constructed by the Preuss Gardening Club advised by Mr. Romer and the Peace Pole was installed in the center of it. The day before the event, Ms. Noorzay and lead custodian Mr. Manny helped finish the last details of the peace pole that stands as a starwalk as a symbol of reflection.The Peace Pole was the class of 2020 Interact Club effort that has been taken to action now that students returned back to an in person school year and was sponsored by the La Jolla Triangle Members that attended the event. The Peace Pole is a great place for the Zen Garden because it is a place dedicated for students to relax and have a place to clear their minds as The Preuss School UC San Diego targets this year to help the mental health of students. The addition of the peace pole contributes to the idea of peace when students, faculty, staff and others have a chance to visit it.

Student that attended the event, Diego Monroy(‘25) comments,” I think the Peace Pole would be a good place to just visit or when students are overwhelmed because they can relax inside the zen garden either by themselves or with their friends during school.”

To give more insight, a Peace Pole is a globally known symbol for the hopes and dreams of the entire human family, keeping guard in peaceful prayer for world peace. On each side of the Peace Pole is written the message, “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in several languages. Over 250,000 Peace Poles are projected to be dedicated as peace monuments in every country across the world but The Preuss School UC San Diego is the only school in San Diego that has a Peace Pole inside a Zen Garden on campus.

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