Rotary Bringing Eight Peace Poles to Local Schools, Philomath, Oregon, USA.

June 1, 2026

A partnership between Philomath Rotary and the school district will bring Peace Poles to every school campus in town this fall, with one additional Peace Pole going to Philomath Community Services.

Superintendent Susan Halliday shared the news at the May 21 School Board meeting, describing the project as another example of Rotary’s ongoing investment in local schools. Rotary purchased eight Peace Poles in total — six for school campuses, one for Philomath Community Services and one that has already been installed at Paul J. Cochran Veterans Memorial Park.

Each Peace Pole carries the message “May Peace Prevail On Earth” in multiple languages. Halliday said the Peace Poles share three in common — English, Spanish and an indigenous language drawn from what the Siletz Tribe provided. Each school then chose a fourth language — Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, German or Nepali, depending on the site. A fifth language will be added via a Braille plaque mounted on each Peace Pole, she added.

The Peace Poles were made by Mike Hewitt, a past president of the Port Orford Rotary Club. Halliday said she picked them up in Eugene last weekend, where they were still being constructed — the photograph she shared with board members showed the tall white Peace Pole lined up and bearing their multilingual messages.

Installation is planned for fall, with Halliday noting the timing is intentional.

“We want our students involved and we want our students to be able to know the history and the purpose and intent,” she said.

The six school sites for installation of the Peace Poles include Blodgett Elementary, Clemens Primary, Philomath Elementary, Philomath Middle School, Philomath High and the building that houses both Philomath Academy and Philomath School District’s office. 

Peace Poles are a global symbol rooted in a movement that originated in Japan more than 50 years ago. An estimated 250,000 Peace Poles have been planted on every continent.

Excerpts from article by Brad Fuqua, Philomath News