Freshman students are beginning a new unit that focuses on international mythology.  "It's very interesting, and there are exciting stories about gods, goddesses, and monsters," said Brian Martinez, a 9th grade student.  Homer's The Odyssey is the anchor text, but students' learning will also be supplemented with several creation stories from around the world, such as the Iroquois Creation Myth and the African Bushman Creation Myth.  Before reading The Odyssey, a summary of the Trojan War will be provided to build background knowledge and increase understanding of the epic poem.  Students will also define what qualities make a person heroic and learn about oral tradition, epic poetry, and literary elements found in stories about the hero's journey.

Over winter break, students will begin inquiring about mythological creatures, gods, goddesses, and monsters.  Aaliyah Lopez said, "All of the stories behind the gods and goddesses are so exciting."  They will research how various myths connect with today's world and find modern day examples that stemmed from stories that people told thousands of years ago, such as the Nike company which connects back to the Nike goddess of victory myth.  As an extension activity, students can choose to either write their own myth or create a visual representation of a mythological creature, god, goddess, or monster.  Students will craft images and names for characters in their stories and share them with each other when they return from winter break.  Pedro Samano said, "I want to learn about the history of gods and goddesses from other countries like Japan," so he will be investigating this inquiry-based topic over break.  As a culminating summative assessment, students will choose a topic from a menu of activities and demonstrate their skills and knowledge growth throughout the unit.

Three Kings Day is also the 73rd birthday of Puerto Rican political prisoner, Oscar Lopez Rivera. This year the Chicago chapter of the National Boricua Human Rights Network (NBHRN) hosted a gathering to reflect on Oscar Lopez Rivera and the impact he has had in our community of Humboldt Park, his contributions to educating and standing up for Humboldt Park and Puerto Rico and how his activism, art and resiliency continue inspiring so many people's lives locally, nationally and internationally. After the Annual Three Kings Day parade and gift giveaway, community residents gathered for some delicious traditional chicken soup, cocktails, music and community building at NBHRN's event hosted by Oscar's niece, Lourdes Lugo. Outside of a great time celebrating the Three Kings Holiday, community members shared heartfelt testimonies about how they came to learn of Oscar Lopez, what about him inspired them to stand for his release from 34 years of unjust imprisonment and any memories or lessons they have taken from their experience with the campaign to free Oscar Lopez. Some people were students of Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School, a school Oscar helped found. Others who are community organizers who have worked in substance abuse and HIV/STI prevention like Oscar, classmates or Oscar and people who didn't know who he was all listened and shared in an intimate setting. Long time friend of Oscar, Laura Ruth Johnson, who has visited him, shared segments of correspondences that speak to Oscar's character and humanity. In a diverse room of people of varying ages, sexual orientations and different cultural backgrounds, there were some common themes that surfaced. Oscar Lopez advocated for educational, housing, employment, medical care and opportunities for his people and the larger community and has consistently sacrificed his own needs and comforts in the name of equality and justice. His example as a humanitarian has ignited the efforts of so many others to strive to be more like him and also use their talents and skills for the betterment of their communities. Moreover, Oscar has shown others not be afraid of using their voices to stand firmly for what they believe in, which is an honorable act that transcends even opposing political ideologies and is an essential characteristic for people who want to create positive change in the world. On Oscar's birthday, supporters of NBHRN were able to rejoice that the spirit of living and helping to live is a gift that they all have been inspired to give back to our communities and inspire others to join them in doing so as well.

This holiday season, make a donation of $25 or more, NBHRN will provide you with the music CD "La Lucha es Vida Toda", which was put together by Puerto Rico's most famous musical legends, Lucecita, Andy Montañez, Roy Brown, El Topo, Zoraida Santiago and many more. A musical classic and well as a historical milestone, the other campaign to free Oscar.

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