At William Floyd Elementary School, 767 pinwheels form peace sign

In honor of “Unity Week” at the William Floyd School District, 767 students at William Floyd Elementary School in Shirley placed their own handmade paper pinwheels in the form of a peace sign in front of the school Tuesday.

When they are first assigned to make the pinwheels, some students think the sign means “‘bye,’ as in, ‘peace out,’” said William Floyd art teacher Linda Braverman, 42, of Moriches, who teaches 30 art classes for kindergarten to fifth-graders at the school. “I make them understand it means to get along. And then I show them peaceful images, they color peacefully and they behave peacefully.”

This is the fourth year the school has done the pinwheel peace sign. The event piggybacks on International Day of Peace, which was held on Sept. 21.

“The students love it, they love to show their parents and friends when they drive by the school,” said Braverman, adding, “They all work together collaboratively, and it shows the community that it’s a peaceful school.”