This month, in addition to planting a beautiful Ginkgo Biloba tree in the home of the future "PEACE GARDEN" at Plymouth State University (on Arbor Day), members of the campus community honored Professor Leo Sandy's many years of undergraduate teaching and university service at an informal reception at the Frost House.

On May 11th, friends and fans gathered, nibbled, noshed and celebrated Leo at a small gathering on campus and chipped-in to purchase him a membership to The New Hampshire World Affairs Council (click here) -a local group dedicated to fostering learning, discussion and citizen involvement in world affairs around the state.  The torch (or in this case, the UN flag) was passed to a new generation of peace activists who are dedicated to non-violent communication, peace pedagogy, conflict-resolution and social justice.  We will proudly carry-on doing the good work that Leo began many decades ago at Plymouth State.

The Culture of Peace movement in New Hampshire wishes to acknowledge Dr. Sandy's many years of hard work and dedication to peace advocacy and activism locally, nationally and internationally.  Although he is retiring from his undergraduate teaching career, he will continue to teach in the School Psychology and Parenting Education Certification programs via the College of Graduate Studies.  Dr. Sandy will also continue to play an active role in supporting the NH Culture of Peace movement and will  be instrumental in planning and consulting NH universities and colleges, as we continue the tradition of summits, workshops, conferences and outreach.  Stay tuned for more information about the next Culture of Peace Summit (5th annual!) scheduled to take place next spring at Rivier College in Nashua, NH.

To learn more about Dr. Sandy's teaching career, awards, and publications, please visit his web pages:
http://www.plymouth.edu/webapp/mahara/view/view.php?t=b8N4mU01914Nu723CcyD

http://oz.plymouth.edu/~lsandy/home.html

Thank you Leo Sandy! 

The end of the semester is upon us at Plymouth State!  In between the activity and excitement associated with closing final exams, and beginning new professional lives with Commencement, we have also had some occasions to reflect on where we've arrived in our Culture of Peace and Social Justice Community, and celebrate some milestones.  Here are a few highlights:

Arbor Day!  Our Plymouth State University campus always celebrates with a tree planting, and usually with plenty of children on hand.  This year was particularly pleasant for our Community because the tree that was planted is a gingko tree, renowned not just for its multi-million-year history as a species, but because it is the tree that survived Hiroshima.  Even better yet, the tree was planted as a statement, in a space designated for a Peace Garden to be developed further in the coming years.  Here is the news coverage of this event. 

Next, we are celebrating transitions.  Professor Leo Sandy who has led our group fearlessly over the years is developing into new roles in his life, and ours!  We will miss his daily presence at our meetings, but we also know that his schedule will be more forgiving, and thus we will not be surprised to see him more active in the endeavors he most enjoys.  Thank you, Leo, for tirelessly reminding the world of the compelling case for peace and social justice.

We are also celebrating the ascension to our leadership position of Professor Kristine Levan who has been a part of our group for several years, and has agreed to lead us through our next phase!  Congratulations, Krissi, and we welcome your good stewardship.

We as a group are growing and changing, having invited new members Professor Delilah Smith and student Alex Palermo among our members as well -- welcome to you also!

With all of these changes, however, we remain steadfast in our commitment to the cause of peace and social justice in all its forms, as they help us build a better world.  Share our words with your communities, and join us in our next adventures.