Colville Interact Club Champions Peacebuilding with New Peace Pole Installation

Peacebuilding was chosen as the club’s 2024-2025 theme, “inspired by Rotary International’s focus areas; to support this, they learned peace literacy skills and decided to install a peace pole at their high school,” said Amy Cobos, an Interact liaison. Cobos said that it took time to receive the pole and the club was unable to install the pole last school year, so they decided to install it at the beginning of the 2025-26 year. 

According to May Peace Prevail On Earth International, the founders of the Peace Pole Project, peace poles serve as symbols of hope and global unity, with more than 200,000 installed worldwide. To represent the Colville High School community, the Interact club chose English, Spanish, Russian and Japanese.

“Jay Shepperd and Janey Howe from Rotary District 5080 generously donated $300 for the pole,” said Cobos. According to the Rotary District 5080 website, “In May 2022, the club partnered with the Colville Rotary Club to plant and dedicate a Peace Pole at the District 5080 Annual Conference in Colville,” making this the second Peace Pole to be placed in Colville.

Continuing the Rotary International Club’s tradition of “paying it forward,” the Colville Interact Club “plans to gift another peace pole, likely to Sandpoint Interact Clubs,” stated Cobos.