Hello from Room 13,
 
February was a snowy month resulting in more than a few snow days! In response, our first available “Topic Tuesday” for all English classes, 6-8, was; “What if we had a “snow-in” day? So much snow we had to stay in school overnight….with no pizza delivery?” Students shared some of their journal responses. Check out some writing consistency I noticed: “Somehow, the teachers would get locked into the Teacher’s Lounge. Ice cream from the lunchroom would be the main staple for dinner, unless they could take the tunnel to the social hall, where most writers were sure there was enough food to stay for a week, if necessary. Hallway sports, music over the PA, game rooms, reading rooms, and movie rooms were proposed, along with taking care of Little Buddies. After parents rescued them by morning using skis, snowblowers, bulldozers or snow tunnels (that worked like waterslides?) the whole school would get to go home… for another snow day! There is no shortage of creative thinking or writing in the Junior High at St. Clare.
February is an important month in school as it is African American History Month. Student Council assigns each grade a notable African American from our nation’s past and on the last week of February we presented what we learned about our person. Sixth Grade was assigned Jack Johnson, the first African American Heavyweight World Champion. We learned what a powerful boxer he was and efforts to restrain his dismissiveness of the Jim Crow laws of the south resulted in his imprisonment. Seventy years after his death, President Donald Trump pardoned Jack Johnson because he had been sent to prison for racial injustice.
 
March is reading Month! St. Clare kicked off the month with the return of one of our gifted St. Clare Alums, Alten James. He shared with us a children’s book he recently published, “The Three Givers.” His inspiring answers to the questions posed by the student body gave the Junior High students a concrete example of the power of words and the diverse employment options available to English Majors! As always, we are very busy over here in the school building!