Freeport students combined their outstanding talents on Oct. 2 to present an evening of music, art and drama at the Fourth Annual Peace Concert and Art Exhibition held at the high school.
Musical performances by students from the elementary, intermediate, junior high and senior high schools promoted the importance of peace both in the Freeport community and throughout the world. "We need to take a moment to reflect on Gandhi's message of peace and understanding," stated Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kishore Kuncham in his opening remarks.
Before the concert began, Dr. Kuncham presided over the unveiling of the Mural of Leaders in World Peace. The mural, designed by local artist Marc Josloff, features the faces of Nobel Peace Prize winners from the past 100 years, including Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It is part of a larger art project that involved students from Freeport High School and the Columbus Avenue Early Childhood Learning Center.
A dramatic highlight of the program was the presentation of an award-winning original one-act play focused on anti-bullying. The play, written by Freeport student Nicholas Ashe, recently won first place in the Shanti Fund's Culture of Peace and Non-Violence program. It was met with a standing ovation.
Four years ago, Dr. Kuncham introduced the idea of presenting a districtwide concert dedicated to peace in conjunction with the International Day of Non-Violence and Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, both of which are celebrated on Oct. 2.
