Our first visit of the day was at the Oneness-Family School in Bethesda, Maryland. This Montessori based school is also an International Peace Academy which also helps to cultivate the virtues of kindness, friendship, peace, and oneness.
Our Peace Run team is made up of about 12 runners from many different countries. Egi, from Mongolia, leads the team as she carries the Peace Torch into the school.
We introduce ourselves by having the children guess where we come from after giving them clues.
We also offered the children some short skits which demonstrated either peaceful and helpful behaviors or not so peaceful behaviors which they were able to judge.
Most of the children have guessed all of our runners countries and even had a chance to point out where the countries were located on our world map.
Andrew Kutt, the Founder and DIrector of the Oneness-Family School, performs an original song with the help of the students and the runners and even the audience participating in the actions.
The Peace Runners and teachers pose for a group photo as Andrew Kutt, with the help of some children, displays this colorful painting by Sri Chinmoy on the theme of HOPE.
Gathering outside after the indoor ceremony some of the fourth and fifth grade children along with their teacher and some of the runners gathered in a circle to practice a peaceful meditation exercise.
The teachers and children also had an opportunity to pass the Peace Torch to each other as they made wishes for peace that we will carry with us as we make our way around this country.
Andrew Kutt shares the Peace Torch with some of his teaching staff members.
Salil, the Executive Director of the Peace Run, happily shares the Peace Torch with his good friend Andrew, the Director of the Oneness-Family School, which has been hosting the Peace Run since 1989.
Some of the children offered a soil sample from their garden to be part of the collection of soil from every state that we collect along our 50 state journey. This sample will be from the state of Maryland.
After the children went back to their respective classrooms, Andrew gave our runners a tour of this wonderfully creative and beautiful school.
The open classrooms were organized in the style of the Montessori approach, developed last century by the Italian educator Maria Montessori.
The children posted greetings in many languages.
Andrew explains some of the basic concepts and principles which guide this very successful school, inspiring teachers and students alike.
After our wonderful visit with the Oneness-Family School, our team enjoyed a delicious lunch kindly hosted by Suprabha, our local member of the Peace Run team.
Making our way to our next destination we visited some of the Monuments and Memorials in Washingon, D.C.
We ran to the Arlington Cemetery where thousands of war veterans were laid to rest, including one of our former great presidents who was also a decorated WW2 veteran, John F, Kennedy.
The Eternal Flame at the JFK Memorial burial site.
We proceeded to the Lincoln Memorial, a tribute to the 16th President of the U.S. who was responsible for the Emancipation Proclamation, which granted freedom from slavery officially on January 1, 1863.
Some of the tourists were happy to share our Peace Torch there at the Lincoln Memorial.
Three of our women's team at the Lincoln Memorial with the Washington Monument in the background, our next destination.
We ran to the Washington Monument, a tribute to George Washington, the first President of the U.S. who was also a great General who helped us to gain our Independence as a sovereign nation.
A view of the U.S. Capitol building from the Washington Monument.
Running from the Washington Monument we then visited some other significant memorials on our way to the Jefferson Memorial.
The next memorial was for President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945). He was responsible for instituting major social and economic programs in response to the Great Depression in the 1930's, called the New Deal. He also helped lead the country through a successful World War2 and contributed to helping in the formation of the United Nations.
Our final destination was the Jefferson Memorial in the background.
Climbing the steps to the powerful memorial statue of Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States of America. He also was know as the author of the Declaration of Independence, the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and father of the University of Virginia.
The majestic Jefferson Memorial surrounded by a large water feature called the 'Tidal Basin' from the Potomac River.
A group of French students visiting the U.S. were happy to share the Peace Torch and offer their goodwill and wishes for peace here at the Jefferson Memorial.
In this spacious and powerful memorial building there are deeply meaningful and significant quotes by Thomas Jefferson engraved into the beautiful stone wall.
We also owe a great debt of gratitude to all those who helped to create this great country for us to enjoy "...certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness", in the words of Thomas Jefferson.
Our international Peace Run team members are very grateful to all those who made our visit here possible.
