Message of Peace takes Root, Sonoma County, California, USA
December 15, 2025
More Peace Poles dedicated at local schools and throughout the community!
A message of unity, kindness and hope now stands at every Winters Joint Unified School District campus and at Rotary Park, following a daylong Peace Pole dedication tour.
Members of the Rotary Club of Winters, students and staff from Winters JUSD, and representatives from Veterans for Peace Sonoma County joined together to dedicate five eight-foot Peace Poles, each inscribed with the phrase “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in eight different languages. Among the languages represented were Japanese, Braille, Putwin tribal language and Spanish.
The tour began in the morning at Waggoner Elementary School and continued to each school site before concluding with the final dedication ceremony at Rotary Park in the afternoon. Community members and Rotarians from nearby clubs joined the group for the closing event.
Leading the tour was Woody Fridae, a member of the Rotary Club of Winters and district governor-elect for Rotary District 5160. Fridae said the Peace Poles are intended to serve as both symbols and reminders of the values the community strives to uphold.
“We’re hoping that this pole represents the idea that we will learn to solve problems without fighting,” Fridae said. “Peace is not just the absence of war. It’s all the things we do to make people feel like they belong, that they’re respected.”
The tour was joined by members of the Veterans for Peace, a national organization that works to raise awareness about the costs of war and advocates for peace as a national policy through grassroots organizing and education.
Fred Ptucha, president of the Sonoma County Chapter 71, was a featured speaker throughout the day. Ptucha is a former U.S. Navy ensign who served four tours of duty near and in Vietnam beginning in 1965, performing communications and intelligence work.
“I was a naval officer during the Vietnam War, and I experienced firsthand the tragedy of war — the killing and the brutality,” Ptucha said. “If that doesn’t give you a desire to work for peace, nothing will. That experience led me to dedicate part of my life to working for peace, and one way I do that is through the Peace Pole Project.” www.peacepoleproject.org
Students played an active role at several stops along the tour. Second graders sang at both Waggoner Elementary School and during the Rotary Park dedication. At other campuses, students were invited to share their definitions of peace.
Ptucha also led students and attendees in a peace pledge written by youth involved with Kids for Peace, a global nonprofit that encourages young people to engage in leadership, service and global friendship. The pledge emphasized kindness, respect for others and care for the Earth.
After the pledge, Ptucha encouraged students to carry its message forward.
“Keep remembering that pledge and share it,” he said. “As adults and student leaders, this is part of building your moral compass and your values. If we practice kindness — to our teachers, our parents, our classmates and to ourselves — we become workers for peace.”
At Winters Middle School, Principal Jose Bermudez thanked students for their ongoing efforts to foster a welcoming environment.
“These may seem like small experiences, but I know you’re working toward peace and toward making our school a safe space for everybody,” Bermudez said. “Hopefully, we’ll continue this work so our students and our community can strive for peace.”
During the high school portion of the tour, Fridae addressed students from Winters High School, Wolfskill Career Readiness Academy and the WHS Adult Living Skills program.
“We are dedicating a Peace Pole at every single campus in the district, and one in Rotary Park,” Fridae said. “One of the reasons we love this community is because we know each other, we take care of each other and we respect each other. That togetherness creates a sense of peace, and that’s something to be proud of.”
The Peace Pole Project ( www.peacepoleproject.org) is part of a broader initiative encouraged by Rotary International, which recently challenged Rotary clubs worldwide to place a greater emphasis on peace-building efforts. The Rotary Club of Winters accepted the challenge, partnering with the school district and Veterans for Peace to bring the project to fruition.
As the final Peace Pole was dedicated in Rotary Park, speakers highlighted that the Peace Poles are not just monuments, but daily reminders of a shared commitment — to kindness, respect and “waging peace” within the Winters community.