From the tunnels of Vietnam to the depths of one’s mind, from the corners of Peru to a mission to be kind, all Peace Day speakers gathered to share their each and every find.
On February 7th, 332 students attended Peace Day at Conifer High School, a day where over 30 speakers and performers from many walks of life held seminars to share their experiences and perspectives.
“To be able to have the world come to you, this is an opportunity,” Principal Greg Manier said. “Bringing the world to Conifer is just such a rewarding thing.”
The day began with the opening ceremony, featuring the circus, Principal Greg Manier and teacher Aaron Middleton’s speeches, and the peer ambassadors’ ‘Peace Day’ Rap. Continuing the day was Sarah Thomas, who was the first person to complete four consecutive swim crossings of the English Channel.
Following Thomas were two morning workshops which allowed students to be part of relevant topics that could be tailored to their experience as students, like the Columbine shooting survivor, emotions in the teenage brain, body image, and Thomas, who has set recent world records.
“I think that that’s an important part of Peace Day as well, is that you recognize things that don’t necessarily engage you. Right? You’re learning something in that moment,” Manier said. “I would walk in thinking I’m gonna stay for five minutes to see what’s going on, and then forty-five minutes later, I’m still there.”
The workshop ‘Project Kynd’ aimed to provide those in need with a thoughtful and helpful ‘Kynd Kit,’ containing snacks, toiletries, medical supplies, and positive messages.
“Helping the homeless is one of the best things, and it just makes me feel better,” senior Kendall Crosby said. “[Giving] them some self-care and food to be happier than most days, I think anyone would say would give them a smile to their face too.”
Crosby and her family provided foster care for homeless children and individuals when she was young, allowing them to have a stronger opportunity in life.
“Sometimes we forget how fortunate we are, but they don’t have much. So we need these kits to make them feel better, have something,” Crosby said. “And, to just brighten up their day.”
Cassidy Vallin, Anthony Cummings, and Bryan Connolly performed on Peace Day with Circus Foundry, a Denver-based contemporary circus whose members are Colorado natives.
“We’re a really tight-knit group of best friends who just all share the same passion,” Vallin said.
Performing for parties, events, birthdays, and conferences, the counselors and peer ambassadors found them a perfect choice for Conifer High School.
“They brought the circus to sound a different tone and hit a different place in your brain, but then follow it up with Sarah, who’s the swimmer, which is such a different part of your brain,” Manier said.
The circus performed following Middleton and Manier’s opening speeches, the audience cheering and applauding at every act.
“You guys were a great audience for us, so that was really exciting. I felt a lot of good vibes from all the students,” Vallin said. “As performers, so much of our energy comes from the audience.”
The foundry usually has a storyline encompassing each of their shows, but because of the short time they had at Conifer, they put on their traditional circus act.
“I think our main goal with your show was to be able to share the excitement of what the circus brings to people throughout the world,” Vallin said. “Those different acts, it was definitely diverse stuff.”
Growing up in the Conifer-Evergreen area, Vallin practiced at the Peak Academy of Dance and enjoyed her time back in the area.
“It was nostalgic to pass Peak [Academy of Dance] because that was a whole year of my life,” she said.
The counselors and peer ambassadors had been organizing and preparing for Peace Day since May of 2024, inviting speakers and performers, decorating, advertising, and helping students sign up for the day.
“It was stressful but I like organizing stuff, so I had fun doing it,” senior peer ambassador Rosie Gumina said. “We live in a pretty small community where there’s not a lot of diversity, so I really enjoy getting to hear other people’s perspectives.”
During lunch, there was a face painting table run by Conifer’s National Honor Art Society (NAHS), a bouncy house race course that numerous students attended, and four food trucks offering barbeque, sandwiches, shaved ice, chicken, and tacos.
“I like face painting and I think it was fun for people,” junior NAHS member Maggie Sullivan said. “By the end of lunch we had a whole line.”
Sullivan attended Peace Day for face painting and the workshops she wished to do with her friends.
“I was really excited to see what that was going to be like. I was kind of more curious, honestly, than anything,” she said. “I just really like that energy of a whole school just doing something fun, being at school without it being school.”
Speakers of the ‘Taspen’s Mixology and Holistic Organic Living’ and ‘International Rescue for Refugees’ workshops canceled the few days before Peace Day, causing numerous students to be placed in workshops they didn’t sign up for, causing confusion and frustration among some students.
“I think that the organization was a little interesting. We walked into the wrong class because we had such a hard time finding where we were supposed to be,” Sullivan said. “We were kind of under the impression that there would be a really big incentive to go where you needed to go, but that didn’t actually matter, especially if kids were put into workshops that they really didn’t want to go to, that could have been upsetting to them.”
This year, 332 students out of the 825 students at Conifer attended, a lower number than in previous years.
“I’ve been every other year, but I decided it’s probably better not to wake up early and go into Peace Day and then fail at my [gymnastics] competition rather than sleep in, get some extra rest,” junior Charlie Van Beek said.
Manier believes that part of why many students didn’t attend was because of its reputation.
“It’s very difficult to convince people that a day is so different from what it originated as, which was diversity day. I wasn’t in charge then, but people have built bias to what those messages are,” Manier said. “It’s disappointing. It really is, that the amount of outreach that I provided to parents in trying to sway that opinion didn’t necessarily reflect itself in attendance.”
With the low turnout, Sullivan thinks that kids weren’t motivated enough to go. “I think that there should be some sort of repercussions for not going just because they don’t want to.”
Another reason Manier found for the low attendance was the lack of education about Peace Day for families.
“Conifer High School sends a lot of material home that we hope that everyone reads. And as a parent myself, I recognize it’s hard to keep up with all the emails and all the voicemails and all the phone calls,” Manier said. “I think that that’s on me to be able to get that message to them.”
Ending the day were Joe Chavez on peace through strength, Nick Thompson on perfectionism, Conifer’s Chuck Bierley on his Vietnam War experience, and Leilani Raashida Henry on peace and connection.
Next year will be Conifer’s 10th annual Peace Day, marking a decade since the event was first organized.
“I think that it was already better than last year, and I’m excited to see how it will get even better,” Sullivan said.
“I just feel like anything you can give from your heart can always help someone else, and that’s what this is about,” Crosby said.
