News Photo by Darby Hinkley St. Paul Lutheran Church Girl Scouts, Kahlan Mousseau, on left, and Alexis Peterson, on right, are using the Alpena County Library white board for a project to earn their Silver awards in Girl Scouts. Both are freshmen at Alpena High School.

ALPENA — Two 14-year-old Girl Scouts are seeking to promote peace in Alpena, and in turn, working toward their Silver Awards in Girl Scouts.

Kahlan Mousseau and Alexis Peterson are asking the public to enter Alpena County Library and participate in sharing their ideas for next year’s 30 Days of Peace. Comment cards decorated with peace symbols will be on the white board when you first walk in, located at the foot of the stairs.

The project is called “Got Peace? It starts with you.”

“It’s going to be asking the community how they help promote peace in Alpena,” Peterson said of the white board project, which started Wednesday and will go for at least one week, possibly longer.

“We hope to have ideas for the peace committee for next year,” Peterson continued. “Lots of people visit the library, and I’ve seen that lots of people write on that white board when there’s a question up there, so I think this is a good way to promote it, and find people’s ways of spreading peace.”

Both girls are freshmen at Alpena High School. Another Girl Scout in the same troop, Baylee Ross, plans to accomplish this same task, according to Troop Leader Bronwyn Woolman. She and Trudy Mousseau lead Girl Scout Troop 1033 at St. Paul Lutheran Church.

“This is the Silver Award, the second-highest award a Girl Scout can earn,” Woolman explained. She said they started the project with International Night back in January.

“It’s where they have a whole bunch of different countries set up, we had foreign exchange students there representing their countries, and all the other troops would represent a country,” Kahlan Mousseau said. “You tell about traditions and food you would eat there, and you move around to the different stations and learn about the different countries.”

“With the idea of promoting peace and respect for all these different cultures,” Woolman added.

Carol Skiba of the Alpena Peace Coalition applauded the girls for their initiative and efforts.

“One thing we are always looking for are ideas about events to have,” Skiba said.

“I think part of the library’s job is to promote community conversations,” said Jessica Luther, assistant director at Alpena County Library. “And this is a great way to incorporate a lot of conversations with a lot of different age ranges. When the girls approached me about doing it, I thought it was the perfect fit.”