10/13/2025
Carroll News Article Sept 25 2025
An ongoing “Peace Pole” collaborative project including Carroll County High School seniors and the Hillsville Rotary Club looks among other things to affirm peace and diversity.
Carroll County High School seniors Chloe Billings, Jacob Talbert, Bradley Dalton, Terry Woods II and teacher Shannon Dalton recently shared their insights on the ongoing project. They hope its positive message of ‘respect for everyone and everyone is human’ endures decades from now. The project’s first phase involved forms and maintenance.
“These guys are going to be stepping in the next phase to beautify the area and make it something. We were selected because we have a lot of people and a lot of diversity here,” said CCHS English Teacher Shannon Dalton.
Rotary had grant money for this and Hillsville Rotary was highly motivated to support such a project but didn’t know where it should be located so many people could see it and enjoy it (consideration is underway for a second pole).
May Peace Prevail on Earth was authorized by the late Masahisa Goi of Japan, after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Information from Rotary indicates there are more than 250,000 such poles throughout the world.
The seniors appeared hopeful this will have an impact beyond a legacy of life lived between classes. They said it was a good feeling to have a chance to make a difference. The project is shaping up to be a collaborative effort with agriculture students and others pitching in to landscape the area, with also includes a time capsule.
“In a small town in Southwest Virginia it is nice to see diversity in a school. I see we do have diversity at our school. It is not just primarily like, one group here,” said Chloe Billings. “I hope that kids that come here from different countries feel included and have a piece of home here with this. I know where I’ve moved schools diversity has always been something. I’ve always been around diversity. It’s not new but I liked seeing it as I moved from school to school. I love serving my community and I hope the new students appreciate the hard work to get this done.”
They said the hope is when people shuffle in or leave the school each day, as they move through the area, the pole being one of many all around the world adds another level, connecting Hillsville to a broader global community. It’s not a massive decorative public installation but they feel the message is simple, which helps the sentiment endure.
The seniors said interaction with exchange students and learning what they have experienced in another country, learning about their cultures, has been a great experience. Carroll has had two exchange students in recent memory who left Carroll and studied elsewhere (C.J. Richardson studied in Taiwan and Jerry Cook studied in Hungary through the Rotary Exchange Program).
Consideration is being given to including an outdoor classroom in the space. Billings said she has been amazed seeing people who you would never see together bonding over a newly-discovered frog.
“You feel confined in the tight spaces of a classroom with 20 other students. You have more space here to roam around. It might get kids to talk to each other and become friends,” said Talbert. “I grew up in Carroll County and this is a new thing for me. It’s nice seeing diversity and I get to meet people I never thought I’d meet in my life.”
“We’re excited about the future uses. It will give people a chance to stop and think. This area, I think, is going to be very lively,” said Dalton. “There’s a QR on the pole you can scan and it will take you to the project’s website. It’s going to look really nice and it’s really a collaborative with our greenhouse people and the evening Rotary Club, which is open to anyone.”
A Peace Pole monument displays the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in the language of the country where it is placed. Typically three to seven additional languages meaningful to the host site are also included. The pole at CCHS has seven languages: English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Thai, Gujarati and Slovic.
David Broyles may be reached at 276-779-4013, on “X” at CarrollNewsDave or via email at [email protected]
