Bell ringing, seminars and more planned for isle Peace Day

Several churches and temples plan to ring their bells at 9 a.m. tomorrow for a statewide "Bells for Peace" celebration.

The 2007 Legislature established Sept. 21 as Peace Day in Hawaii, making this the first state to recognize the United Nations' International Day of Peace, which is celebrated in 200 countries worldwide.

Students from the Pacific Buddhist Academy will kick off the celebration by ringing the Japanese Peace Bell at Neal S. Blaisdell Park in Pearl City.

"Is Peace Possible in Our Schools?" is the theme of a Peace Education Forum from noon to 2 p.m. at the Hawaii Convention Center. It will start with a panel discussion of student bullying in schools. Panelists will include Tricia S. Jones, a Temple University professor who specializes in conflict resolution; University of Hawaii associate professor Jeannie Lum; state Rep. Lyla Berg; Niu Valley Middle School principal Justin Mew; and Peter Greenhill, co-director of the Iolani School Peace Institute.

The event is free and open to the public. It will continue from 3 to 5 p.m. with performances by the Pacific Buddhist Academy taiko drummers, kumu hula Lopaka Kapanui and dancers Chantelle Ching and Andrea Dalorea, and songs by A Class Act and the Hongwanji Mission School Choir.

Glenn Paige, UH political science professor emeritus, will be presented the Distinguished Peace Day Award. He is the founder and president of the Center for Global Nonviolence.

Other Peace Day observances include:

» Tomorrow, 9:30 a.m., Waipahu United Church of Christ, 94-330 Mokuola St. Retired Buddhist Bishop Yoshiaki Fujitani will join the pastor, the Rev. David Hirano, in a dialogue about the concept of peace from Christian and Buddhist perspectives. It is open to the public. It will be followed by a potluck lunch.

» Monday, all day. Students, families and staff of The Children's Center, 2651 Pali Highway, will decorate the roadside and grounds with hundreds of "Pinwheels for Peace."

» Tuesday, 7 p.m., Moiliili Hongwanji Mission, 902 University Ave. A series of movies marking Peace Day in Hawaii will continue with "The Cats of Mirikitani," about a survivor of World War II internment camps who found rehabilitation in his art. The series finale on Sept. 30 will be "Ashita," a Japanese language film about life in Nagasaki before the United States dropped the atomic bomb.