From the Library

Dreaming of a getaway to the Greek isles? Longing for an Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery? Need a quick read for the break? Then, The Fury by Alex Michaelides is for you! They are new and in high demand, so we will need to read them fast and furious, like the wind the book is named for! We have four copies now and more will be blowing in soon! Stop by to pick one up or email me and I'll reserve one for you.

Students in Ms. Sullivan Justice's English I classes are learning about the Holocaust. Ms. Sullivan Justice stated, " English I students will read the stories of a survivor, hero, or victim of the Holocaust. They will learn about their life prior to the Holocaust, during the Holocaust, and (for survivors) after the Holocaust. They will then record a video or voice recording of that person’s story and will create an original, visual piece to accompany it which will be hung in a gallery memorializing the Holocaust. This project aims to spread awareness in our school and community of the real human stories of the Holocaust, and to ensure that we never forget." There are two displays of books in the library for students to choose from including a new graphic adaptation of Anne Frank's Diary by Ari Folman and David Polonsky, My Name is Selma: The Remarkable Memoir of a Jewish Resistance Fighter and Ravensbruck Survivor by Selma Van de Perre and Questions I Am Asked About the Holocaust by Hedi Fried. We also have multiple copies of Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank and Somewhere There is Still a Sun by Michael Gruenbaum coming through interlibrary loan. The culminating event for this project is a field trip to Shir Shalom to hear a Holocaust survivor speak.

On Thursday, April 18 the Dance Theatre of Harlem will be visiting classes and giving workshops at our school. The High School workshop is scheduled for 10:00-11:00am in the HS Gym and the Middle School workshop is scheduled for 12:30-1:30pm.

The Dance Theatre of Harlem is a world-renowned ballet company founded by Arthur Mitchell after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King on the premise that "All can do ballet." Mitchell stated, “What we started out to do, to prove, was that black children, given the same opportunity as white children, could be great dancers." To learn more about the Dance Theatre of Harlem, watch this tribute to Arthur Mitchell. To learn more about the Dance Theatre of Harlem's transformational practice of matching dancers' shoes and tights to their skin color, watch Many Hues, One Line.

Students will be learning more about the Dance Theatre of Harlem in Advisory when we return from break and they will be reading poetry from the Harlem Renaissance in English classes to prepare for the dance workshops.