RIVER FALLS – “May Peace Prevail on Earth.” Such a simple yet complicated hope. Yet it’s one that River Falls Public Montessori Elementary School children believe in.

The No Place for Hate team at RFPME did everything from research to fundraising to bring a Peace Pole to RFPME. It was installed and marked with a special ceremony on Friday, Sept. 20.

“A Peace Pole is an internationally recognized symbol of the collective hopes and dreams for peace, standing as a silent prayer for harmony on Earth. Each hand-crafted monument displays the message "May Peace Prevail on Earth" on four of its sides, serving as a reminder to envision and pray for global peace,” said a news release from School District of River Falls.

The RFPME peace pole is only the fourth registered peace pole in Wisconsin, and features languages that are spoken in the homes of their student body, including English, Spanish, Otjiherhero, Portuguese, Greek, Ukrainian, Latvian, and Arabic. Students raised money for the project by selling buttons. According to Principal Kai Rodgers, Montessori schools have a long tradition of promoting peace.

“Peace is a central value and focus in all we do,” Rodgers said. “Our students felt that the Peace Pole at our entrance would serve as a great reminder to all who enter that we work to celebrate our differences, accept others, and be upstanders in our school community.”

The No Place for Hate team has worked hard to build connections and respect in the community, she said. There are more than 250,000 peace poles in 180 countries around the world.

“It’s a reminder that we can all be upstanders and spread peace around the world,” Rodgers said.

Peace is an acronym for values held dear at the Montessori: Problem solving, empathy, accountability, cooperation and engaged learning.

Saturday, Sept. 21 was the International Day of Peace.