MONROE, CT — A Peace Pole, a monument bearing the message, “may peace prevail on Earth” in eight different languages, now stands in the rock garden outside the entrance to the Wolfe’s Den Playground at Wolfe Park.
The rock garden, created by students in Masuk High School’s Interact Club and the Rotary Club of Monroe two years ago, displays hand-painted rocks with inspiring messages promoting kindness.
Eleven Rotarians erected the Peace Pole on Saturday morning, completing a project they worked on with the Interact Club. The work was done on the Epic Day of Service, in which Rotarians make lasting impacts on their communities.
Monroe Rotary Club President Ken Kellogg recalled how one of its members, David Wolfe, who was inspired by the rock garden at St. Armands Circle in Sarasota, Fla., proposed having one at Wolfe Park in 2023.
“It’s a logical spot for a Peace Pole,” Kellogg said. “There may be more in the future, but we wanted this one to be here.”
Lauren Iverson, a Masuk teacher and the Interact Club’s advisor, said Monroe’s Peace Pole includes the top eight languages spoken in the community, based on school data and what families speak at home.
A symbolic meaning of the Peace Poles is that peace starts at home.
Superintendent Joseph Kobza, who is also a Rotary Club member, was among those volunteering Saturday with assistance from Jack Eck, who is charge of park maintenance at Wolfe Park, and Parks and Recreation Director Missy Orosz.
In addition to installing the pole and a new sign, Kellogg said the club realized the footprint of the rock garden was too big.
Volunteers raked white stones away from one area and broke up soil around the workspace, so they could roll out sod to clean everything up. They did some digging for the Peace Pole and Eck used a drill to go deeper.
Rotarians also mixed cement for the base of the sign, which Eck secured into place with a hand-drill.
The sign for Wolfe Park’s garden says: “Welcome to Our Rock Garden! Take one for inspiration, share one for motivation, or leave one to help our garden grow.”
“They go quickly,” Kellogg said of the painted rocks. “We’re always trying to replenish it.”
Throughout the year, the Rotary and Interact clubs organize projects for children to paint new rocks for the garden.
On Saturday, Iverson brought a new batch of rocks from a project Interact students did at Monroe Elementary School, in which the older students read a story called “Kindness Rocks” to second-graders, before painting their own rocks together.
They also performed the project with Fawn Hollow Elementary School students, according to Iverson.
Check out the photo gallery and video of Saturday’s project:
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