Peace Week was held this year from 4-8 August. We run Peace Week annually with events organised and run by student leaders. Students Aashini Kumaran and Kiri Woodward led the way this year with their team of ten Year 10 to Year 13 students. We held daily activities throughout the week, with the chance for participants to gain a Peace Week badge for their blazer. On Monday, the paper crane activity took place, with over seventy attendees who folded paper cranes in honour of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who was two years old when the first atomic bomb landed in Hiroshima. Sadako has now become a symbol of peace and hope, and we conduct this activity each year to honour her and her story, and allow ourselves to connect and reflect on history. On Tuesday, we held our scavenger hunt. This activity highlighted quick thinking, and we were delighted to see the pure enthusiasm from the participants.
Wednesday saw another popular tradition: Peace Rock Painting, where participants create designs to show what peace means to them. They were each given rocks and painting materials to bring their colourful and meaningful ideas to life. Towards the end, teachers selected the top three winners who received prizes. Students got to take their rock home as a reminder of peace, creativity and fun.
The Peace Quiz is also a very popular activity, and once again, Rosmini College joined us to compete for the top prize.. We had 12 teams enter the quiz this year: ten from Westlake Girls, and two from Rosmini. The questions included peace icons, Peace Week knowledge, and questions about the United Nations. We also included a minigame whilst the scores were tallied. Having Rosmini involved has become a valued Peace Week tradition, making it a fun Thursday.
Finally, on Friday, we held the ever-popular Project Runway, where chaos and teamwork resulted in fashionable newspaper designs. Each team collaborates to create a fashion piece inspired by this year’s Peace Week theme and their unique interpretation of peace. A model from the team took to the runway while their speaker described their creation to the judges and audience. The top three designs were chosen.
Peace Week always symbolises teamwork, friendship, and peace, and 2025 was yet another massive success for our school community – a vibrant celebration of harmony and connection. The Peace Week student leaders are now looking forward to attending the Youth Peace Symposium 2025 to wrap up the events. A big thank you to everyone who participated and made the week more peaceful, and of course, to our fantastic teachers who supplied all the materials, prizes and support needed throughout the week.
By Aashini Kumaran and Kiri Woodward Year 13