Prometheus and Zeus were the best of friends. They fought side by side in the war against the titans that would thrust mount Olympus and the pantheon of gods that resided there to their height of power. According to Greek mythology, the titan Prometheus was tasked by Zeus to create life from the mud that could worship the gods; having won the war and growing bored, Zeus wanted a new adventure. His initial thought was that the little beings would live in paradise and happiness and that their appreciation for their lives would be lavished upon the gods for their goodwill. Prometheus asked Zeus to donate his saliva to make the mud, and when he finished, Athena "Inspired," literally breathing life into the creations. Zeus warned Prometheus, "Give them everything they could ever want except fire." By this, he meant the sacred fire of the gods, "Knowledge."

Zeus grew bored of the creations, but Prometheus loved these creations more than he loved Zeus. He began to teach them the ways of farming and animal husbandry, how to survive and build, but they lacked creativity and curiosity. They lacked the will to create, as this was the business of the gods. Zeus knew this well and that if humans were given that fire, they might challenge the gods or, worse, rise above them.

Knowing the risks and in the act of selfless love, Prometheus climbed Mount Olympus's summit and stole the gods' fire from the forge of Hephaestus to give to his creations. The humans, armed with fire and the spark of knowledge and creativity, were able to forge, build, create and destroy. Only after Zeus looked down upon the earth and saw the light dotting the landscape did he discover Prometheus' treachery.

Zeus and his wrath could not undo what Prometheus had done. Once armed with knowledge, humanity would not live without it. Zeus set out to punish Prometheus but rather than fight, he proudly followed him to the foot of the Caucasus mountains where the Black and Caspian Seas meet. There, Zeus begged his friend to apologize so that he may forgive him, but Prometheus refused. Zeus then ordered the cyclopes to chain him to the mountain. Zeus then ordained that Vultures would come daily to tear out Prometheus' liver and consume it. Because he was immortal, it would grow back every night; thus, his torture would never end. Zeus asked Prometheus if he had anything to say for himself.

Prometheus, whose name means "forethought," chose his words carefully. He said to Zeus, "I have thought my actions through with great care. I weighed my comfort against the future of the race of man. I see now that they will flourish and prosper independently of any immortals, even you. Knowing that is a balm for any pain."

Each of us carries our share of Promethean fire. The hope for educators and parents is that we can stoke that fire and make it shine brightly in our students when we make small sacrifices to impart to children the fire that comes with education. For me, at least, it is a powerful balm indeed.

I recommend the book Mythos by Stephen Fry; I guarantee it is a good time and will stoke your fire for sure.

Ever Stalwart,

DLG

This past week, our 5th graders focused on narrowing their topics, writing their learning goals, and researching answers to their initial question on their exhibition topic.

Below are the topics our students will inquire into:

• Fashion
• Poetry
• Arts and Crafts
• Youtube & Vlogging
• Mythology
• Art Therapy
• Childhood Trauma and Therapy
• Sports: Passion, Achievement, and Mental Health
• Perception of Snakes in Art
• Equality for All
• Immigration
• Scammers
• Gaming Benefits
• Helping Stray Animals
• Endangered Species

What does action look like for our children? Sometimes, its using their voice to make change.

Our 3rd graders just finished their IB Unit How We Organize Ourselves: Engaging with organizational structures helps individuals navigate change and progress for our communities. Their summative assessment asked students to create a plan of action to impact the local community. This plan of action had to identify the structure of the organization they would engage with, organizations, individuals, or partners that could support their cause, and the community that would be impacted.

Here we saw Mrs. Canales's students speaking to our Head Custodian, Mr. Salazar, to inquire about adding more trash cans outside as a solution to all the trash they find outside.

We thank the families that brought in photos to honor the heroes that serve our country with valor.

This past week our knowledgeable and risk-taking 8th graders participated in a unique opportunity. They participated in the Global Entrepreneurship Journey through Culturingua. Students presented their social enterprise ideas to solve a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal with their Libyan partners to a panel of judges.

The students celebrated the end of this 6-week cultural exchange experience by partaking in Arabic mint tea and baklava. We hope this is the beginning of our students' lifelong international mindedness.

Once again, we want to thank our Woodlawn community for coming together during the SAISD Recycling Competition. We were proud to receive $1000 HEB gift card for our participation and efforts! We are so proud of the changes we are seeing in our students and the impact we made on our planet. You can read the story on our impact of recycling 70,000 lbs as a group of SAISD schools here.

This week, Evelyn and Maria Ramirez-Trejo represented Woodlawn Academy at the district Spanish Spelling Bee. Evelyn made it to the second round of the elementary level, while Maria finished 4th place in the middle school level.

We are so proud of our students' hard work and accomplishments. Thanks to Ms. Francese and the Dual Language and Spanish teachers for preparing our students for success.

Website: https://schools.saisd.net/page/175.homepage/
Location: 1717 West Magnolia Avenue, San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone: (210) 438-6560
Facebook: facebook.com/SAISDWoodlawnAcademy
Twitter: @IB_Woodlawn