The sounds of tiny voices could be heard as students trotted out to the Evergreen Academy garden in Bothell this morning.

With handmade paper pinwheels in their hands, the children were ready to celebrate United Nations International Day of Peace. Their voices soon reached a high volume as they sang and cheered with Pinwheels for Peace Project emcee, first-grade teacher Whitney Ball.

Here’s some of the messages that Ball announced to the crowd:

“Treat others the way you want to be treated.”

“We all need a group hug.”

“Love and respect for all.”

“Peace means no war.”

When Principal Dana Mott took the microphone, she added: “Empower yourself to be the change you want to see in the world.”

After the ceremony, during which students placed their pinwheels in the garden, sixth-grader Grace Pabst noted: “Peace doesn’t begin with ‘no war,’ it begins with something inside of all of us. That is being kind, respecting others. Go say ‘hi’ to someone new today and make friends — because that’s where peace starts.”