(Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

BELPRE — Belpre High School Interact Club, a new organization of Belpre High School students facilitated by Rotary Club of Belpre, will install a “Peace Pole” in Belpre on Earth Day 2025, according to Rotary Club of Belpre President Jeff Totten.

The installation will take place Tuesday, April 22, at 11:30 a.m. in Belpre’s Civitan Park, near the intersection of Blennerhassett Avenue and Washington Boulevard at a special Rotary bench area near the top of the hill in the park.

The pole is 10 feet in length, with 7-8 feet exposed above ground and decorated with Belpre High School students’ handprints and messages of peace. Belpre Rotary Club supplied funds for this project plus a budget for other projects, including a beautification project chosen by the students for this year.

The club’s organization is modeled after the local Rotary Club’s activities, methods, and governance, Totten said. He expects similar poles to be erected in visible locations around Belpre in the future with the support of the local Rotary Club.

Belpre High School Interact Club currently has 12 members and is recruiting additional members through efforts of students Jasmine Madison and Eric Sinnett, Totten explained. The youth group is advised by Belpre High School instructor Stacey White and Totten.

The local Rotary Club, designated as a “Peacekeepers Club” for its activities in promoting peace, hopes that the student organization will provide assistance with the adult club’s projects in exchange for support of youth community service projects.

Totten found information about the “Peace Pole” project from another rotary district’s poles installed at a Rotary park. Belpre Rotary is a part of Rotary District 6690. He predicts the idea will spread and can see poles installed at other locations with the mission of peace.

Belpre High School Interact Club and other chapters are part of Rotary International’s efforts to “bring together young people ages 12-18 to develop leadership skills while discovering the power of Service Above Self,” according to Rotary website information.