The start to the semester gets a little bit sweeter for Austin ISD students this week as they promote Peace Through Pie throughout the district.

Luanne Stovall began Peace Through Pie in 2009 at the Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church in Clarksville as a way to honor Martin Luther King Jr.

Culinary arts students at William B. Travis High School hosted the first high school event in January 2012 and now, more than 5,000 students participate in the annual festivities.

AISD Peace Through Pie events include:

Lamar Middle School Peace Day & Peace Through Pie Social

• Peace Day (all day); PTP Social 6–7 p.m., Jan. 14, Lamar Middle School, 6201 Wynona Ave. 
• Peace Day: Everyone is encouraged to wear tie-dyed clothing and "increase the peace" on campus by doing random acts of kindness to help others.
• From 6 to 7 p.m., a pie social for the school’s community includes performances by Lamar students and, of course, pie.

Mathews Elementary Peace Through Pie Social

• 7:30–8:15 a.m. and lunch in the cafeteria, Jan. 16, Mathews Elementary School, 906 W. Lynn St. 
• At the morning assembly, Mathews Elementary students will take part in their No Place For Hate program celebrating Dr. Kingʼs legacy of community peace-making with music and by taking the Pie-o-neer Pledge. Guest speakers include the Founder of Peace Through Pie, Luanne Stovall, and Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Steve Manning.
• Students continue celebrating by sharing pizza pie in the cafeteria.

Fourth Annual Travis High School Peace Through Pie Social

• 9:30 a.m.–3:15 p.m. Jan. 16, William B. Travis High School cafeteria, 1211 E. Oltorf Blvd. 
• Chef Jason Osborneʼs culinary arts students and Leni Gillespieʼs lifetime nutrition and wellness students are preparing several types of pie to promote peace. Students will also take part in a pie-eating contest.

Sanchez Elementary School Peace Through Pie Social 

• Jan. 16, Sanchez Elementary School, 73 San Marcos St.
• Student pie-o-neers at Sanchez Elementary will celebrate their second MLK Peace Through Pie Social with classrooms and schoolwide celebrations of art, pies, music, reading of "Enemy Pie" by classroom teachers and in the library.

Pease Elementary Peace Through Pie Social 

• Pease Elementary School, 1106 Rio Grande St.
• “Enemy Pie” will be read to students in every grade level. On quarter slices of paper plates, each child will write, "Peace begins with me. I can (insert action) to bring peace to others.” They will decorate their pie plate and those plates will be displayed throughout the hallways.

For more information, please contact Peace Through Pie Communications Director Stephen Vogel at (214) 738-1962 or visit www.peacethroughpie.org.