Adria R. Walker – Rochester Democrat and Chronicle USA TODAY NETWORK – in the D&C on 6/26/21 on page A3
The Peace Garden was the girls’ idea.
On Monday afternoon, MLK School 9’s Sisters II Sisters Group for Girls unveiled their project. The unveiling was the culmination of a semester’s worth of work done by the girls and their mentors to both beautify the school’s courtyard and to give students a place for reflection and peace.
The morning of the unveiling, Rochester and the surrounding area were rocked by thunderstorms that ultimately caused significant damage and power outages; leaving teachers and students concerned that the event would be washed out. But, as 1 p.m. approached, the sun emerged — if only briefly — to provide light and warmth; shining on the gathered students and staff as they memorialized a student.
School 9’s new Peace Garden was created by Sisters II Sisters Group for Girls, a social, emotional-based program for sixth-grade girls at the school that teaches them how to code, while also encouraging and cultivating their leadership skills. Sisters II Sisters’ program coordinator is Demitria Lawton-Greggs.