Flannery, Hannah, Clara, Amory, Peter, Ben, Drew, Charlie and Jill.Back row: Teacher, Betsy Sawyer, and The Peace Company Co-Presidents Brent Bisson and Kimberly King

On a sunny afternoon in September 2003, Betsy Sawyer, an energetic school teacher in Groton, Massachusetts decided to start an after-school program with the central theme of "books."

She posted the class, and a small but energized group of 7- 8 students showed up. One of the boys brought his favorite read, the Guinness World Book of Records. Sharing took place, conversations ensued, and a challenging possibility emerged: What if we (the students) could set our own world record related to the creation of books?

WHAT IF WE SET OUT TO MAKE THE BIGGEST BOOK IN THE WORLD??

It seemed like a passing idea at first, but enthusiasm grew. Mrs. Sawyer urged that if the students were truly committed to making the world's biggest book, "the topic should be about something REALLY important, right?" The students concurred and began discussing issues such as poverty, violence, the environment, etc. After several iterations (and some timely influence by activist-singer Jimmy Cliff) they finally agreed the most important topic of all was World Peace. And on that day, a world-changing idea was born.

This small band of Groton-Dunstable students adopted the name "Bookmakers and Dreamers Club for Peace, and embarked upon a grand learning experience. They were transported backwards through history and forwards into the future, down the street to the local voting centers and all around the world.

The students launched a massive letter writing campaign seeking answers to their questions about World Peace. To their amazement, they began receiving letters and notes of encouragement from people of all walks of life, including noteworthy leaders such as: The Dalai Lama; Nelson Mandela; Maya Angelou; Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton: Senators Kennedy and Kerry; Princes William and Harry and more. Three years later, the kids have responses from nearly 500 local and global icons. In addition, this six-week long "temporary class" has now become a permanent and popular fixture in this celebrated Middle School, And, the University of Massachusetts School of Engineering, the Boston Museum of Science, the Carter Center and others have each expressed strong interest in supporting the project in their unique and respective ways.

Meanwhile, there are some exciting and daunting challenges still underway which must be resolved and answered positively in order to achieve this awesome task :

* How will the monies be raised?

* What kind of assembly process should be followed?

* What kind of environmentally friendly ink should be used?

* What Specialty Printers can and will step forward to handle this one-of-a-kind job?

* What kind of durable, lightweight and environmentally conscious paper would would be used to create the Biggest Book in the World for Peace?

Contact Kimberly King at kimberly@thepeacecompany.com / Betsy Sawyer at bsawyer60@aol.com .