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Ramadan, Arabic Ramaḍān, in Islam, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and the holy month of fasting. It begins and ends with the appearance of the crescent moon. Because the Muslim calendar year is shorter than the Gregorian calendar year, Ramadan begins 10-12 days earlier each year, allowing it to fall in every season throughout a 33-year cycle.

Islamic tradition states that it was during Ramadan, on the "Night of Power" ( Laylat al-Qadr)-commemorated on one of the last 10 nights of Ramadan, usually the 27th night-that God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad the Qurʾān, Islam's holy book, "as a guidance for the people." For Muslims, Ramadan is a period of introspection, communal prayer ( ṣalāt) in the mosque, and reading of the Qurʾān. God forgives the past sins of those who observe the holy month with fasting, prayer, and faithful intention.

Ramadan, however, is less a period of atonement than it is a time for Muslims to practice self-restraint, in keeping with ṣawm (Arabic: "to refrain"), one of the pillars of Islam (the five basic tenets of the Muslim religion). Although ṣawm is most commonly understood as the obligation to fast during Ramadan, it is more broadly interpreted as the obligation to refrain between dawn and dusk from food, drink, sexual activity, and all forms of immoral behaviour, including impure or unkind thoughts. Thus, false words or bad deeds or intentions are as destructive of a fast as is eating or drinking.

After the sunset prayer, Muslims gather in their homes or mosques to break their fast with a meal called ifṭār that is often shared with friends and extended family. The ifṭār usually begins with dates, as was the custom of Muhammad, or apricots and water or sweetened milk. There are additional prayers offered at night called the tawarīḥ prayers, preferably performed in congregation at the mosque. During these prayers, the entire Qurʾān may be recited over the course of the month of Ramadan. To accommodate such acts of worship in the evening, work hours are adjusted during the day and sometimes reduced in some Muslim-majority countries. The Qurʾān indicates that eating and drinking are permissible only until the "white thread of light becomes distinguishable from the dark thread of night at dawn." Thus, Muslims in some communities sound drums or ring bells in the predawn hours to remind others that it is time for the meal before dawn, called the suḥūr.

Ṣawm can be invalidated by eating or drinking at the wrong time, but the lost day can be made up with an extra day of fasting. For anyone who becomes ill during the month or for whom travel is required, extra fasting days may be substituted after Ramadan ends. Volunteering, performing righteous works, or feeding the poor can be substituted for fasting if necessary. Able-bodied adults and older children fast during the daylight hours from dawn to dusk. Pregnant or nursing women, children, the old, the weak, travelers on long journeys, and the mentally ill are all exempt from the requirement of fasting.

The end of the Ramadan fast is celebrated as Eid al-Fitr, the "Feast of Fast-Breaking," which is one of the two major religious holidays of the Muslim calendar (the other, Eid al-Adha, marks the end of the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca that all Muslims are expected to perform at least once in their lives if they are financially and physically able). In some communities Eid al-Fitr is quite elaborate: children wear new clothes, special pastries are baked, gifts are exchanged, the graves of relatives are visited, and people gather for family meals and to pray in mosques.

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Ramadan, in Islam, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and the holy month of fasting. It begins and ends with the appearance of the crescent moon. Islamic tradition states that it was during Ramadan that the Prophet Muhammad received the first revelations of the Quran.

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Easter 2023 will be observed on Sunday, April 9. The most important Christian holiday, Easter is a "movable feast." Why does it change every year? What are the commonest and rarest Easter dates? How is the date determined? Where did the word "Easter" come from? Find answer to these questions on our everything-Easter page.

When Is Easter 2023?

This year, Easter Sunday will be observed on Sunday, April 9. This is based on the Gregorian calendar. However, note that many Eastern Orthodox churches follow the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian. In 2023, Eastern Orthodox Easter will take place on Sunday, April 16 (Julian calendar date converted to the Gregorian calendar).

Is Easter Always in March or April?

Easter is a "movable feast," so it doesn't happen on the same date from year to year. In the Gregorian calendar, it is always observed on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25. However, in the Eastern Orthodox church, the observance of Easter can occur between April 4 and May 8.

What Is the Most Common Easter Date?

Over a 500-year period (from 1600 to 2099 AD), it just so happens that Easter will have most often been celebrated on either March 31 or April 16.

What is the Most Unusual Easter Date?

According to long-term averages, the most unusual Easter date is March 22. The second place goes to April 24 and third place goes to March 23.

How Is The Date of Easter Determined?

Easter Sunday always occurs on the first Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon. What is the Paschal Full Moon? This is specifically the first Sunday following the full Moon that occurs on or after the March or spring equinox.

While Christmas is fixed to a solar calendar (and near the winter solstice), Easter is based on the lunar cycles of the Jewish calendar. In the Christian religion, the Last Supper (which was the final meal Jesus shared with his apostles before his crucifixion) was a Passover feast. It's because Easter is based on a lunar month (which is 29.5 days) that the date of Easter can really vary.

Note that the spring equinox date used by the Christian Church is always March 21 just to simplify matters. In fact, the astronomical date of the equinox can shift by a day or so. In 2023, the astronomical date of the equinox is Monday, March 20. So, you'll often see this called the "ecclesiastical" equinox (i.e., the date used by the Church).

What Happens When the Full Moon and Spring Equinox Occur on the Same Day?

Generally, if the full Moon occurs on the same day as the spring equinox, Easter is observed on the subsequent Sunday. However, there is a caveat:

As mentioned above, the Christian Church decided to simplify the process of calculating Easter's date by always observing the spring equinox on March 21, despite the fact that the equinox date changes over time and is actually getting earlier.

This discrepancy between the astronomical equinox date and the Church's observed equinox date can sometimes cause confusion, as it did in 2019, when the full Moon and the astronomical equinox occurred on the same day-Wednesday, March 20.

According to the formula above, this should have meant that Easter would be observed on Sunday, March 24. However, because the Church observes the equinox on March 21, the full Moon technically did not occur "on or just after" the equinox, meaning that the next full Moon would determine Easter's date instead. Thus, in 2019, Easter was held on Sunday, April 21, after the full Moon on Friday, April 19.

What Is the Paschal Full Moon?

The word " Paschal," which is used in the ecclesiastical (Christian church) calendar, comes from "Pascha," a transliteration of the Aramaic word meaning "Passover."

In reference to the full Moon, Paschal refers to the date of the full Moon determined many years ago as the 14th day of a lunar month. Ancient calculations (made in a.d. 325) did not take into account certain lunar motions.

So, the Paschal Full Moon is the 14th day of a lunar month occurring on or after March 21 according to a fixed set of ecclesiastical calendar rules, which does not always match the date of the astronomical full Moon nearest the astronomical spring equinox.

It sounds complicated, but the basic idea is to make it simpler to calculate the date for modern calendars. Rest assured, the dates for Easter are calculated long in advance. See past and future Easter dates here.

What Is the Golden Number?

Readers often ask us about the Golden Number, which was traditionally used in calculations for determining the date of Easter.

The Golden Number is a value used to show the dates of new Moons for each year, following a 19-year cycle.

The Moon repeats the dates of its phases approximately every 19 years (the Metonic cycle), and the Golden Number represents a year in that cycle. The year of the cycle can then be used to determine the date of Easter.

To Calculate the Golden Number:

Add 1 to any given year and divide the result by 19, ensuring that you calculate to the nearest whole number; the remainder is the Golden Number. If there is no remainder, the Golden Number is 19.

For example, to calculate the Golden Number for 2022, we take 2022 and add 1, resulting in 2023, then divide it evenly by 19, giving us 106 with a remainder of 9. Therefore, the Golden Number for 2022 is 9, meaning 2022 is the 9th year of the Metonic cycle.

What Is Easter?

Easter is the holiest day in the Christian calendar. It observes the most central tenet of the Christian faith-that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead. The resurrection represents the triumph of good over evil, sin, death, and the physical body.

Easter Sunday marks the end of Holy Week, the end of Lent, and the last day of the Easter Triduum (starting from the evening of Maundy Thursday, through Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday), as well as the beginning of the Easter season of the liturgical year.

Where Did the Word "Easter" Come From?

Easter, also called Pascha or Resurrection Sunday, is a festival and holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

Let's start with Pascha (Latin) which comes directly from Pesach, the Hebrew word for Passover. Going back to the Hebrew Bible and the story of the first Passover, Moses tells the Israelites to slaughter a passover lamb and paint its blood on their door. The Lord protected the Israelites from death by passing over their doors and would not "allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you down" (Ex. 12:23).

In the New Testament (1 Corinthians 5:7), Paul connects the resurrected Christ to Passover. He refers to Jesus as the paschal lamb who has been sacrificed for his people's salvation. Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples during Passover, so it makes sense that the Feast of the Resurrection is connected with the Jewish holiday. Today, Christians celebrate the "Paschal mystery."

So, where did the word "Easter" come from? The exact origin of the word "Easter" is unclear. It's not as simple as saying it has religious origins or pagan origins.

Some historians suggest that it came from the phrase hebdomada alba, Latin for "white week," used to describe the white garments new Christians wore when they were baptized during Holy Week. In Old German, the word became esostarum and, eventually, Easter.

The Venerable Bede, a seventh-century Anglo-Saxon historian also known as Saint Bede, writes that the word Easter comes from the Anglo-Saxon dawn goddess of fertility Eostre, also the goddess of the dawn, who originated in what is now Scandinavia. Over time, early Christians started referring to the Feast of the Resurrection by the name of the month in which it was celebrated- Eosturmonath (what we now call April).

Alternatively, Easter may have from an old German word for "east," which in turn is derived from a Latin word for "dawn." In the past, the word easter could mean "to turn toward the east" or "rising" and didn't necessarily have any implied religious meaning. (Note: It was the Germans who invented the "Easter Bunny" who visited "good" children's homes, much like they invented Santa Claus.)

Bottom line, no one truly knows the etymological origins of the word, "Easter." It is one of the oldest Old English words.

In the end, it is unimportant whether Easter comes from the goddess of the dawn or the Latin word for dawn. In whatever language, Easter today is a Christian holiday to celebrate Christ's resurrection-and the reminder that death brings life.

Our Favorite Easter Recipes

Traditional Easter dishes include seasonal produce as well as symbols of spring such as lamb, ham, eggs, asparagus, spring peas, hot cross buns and sweet breads, and a carrot cake.

We have all the traditional Easter recipes and more! Check out our Favorite Easter Recipes.
Greek Easter Bread. Photo by Pasta/Shutterstock.
Happy Easter!

From all the Editors here at The Old Farmer's Almanac, we wish you a Happy Easter and a joyous spring season!

Did you know that 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit? See our Lunar New Year page!

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When Is Easter 2023? | How Is Easter's Date Determined?

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Easter 2023 is on Sunday, April 9! Easter is a "movable feast" always held on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25. Why do the Easter dates change (but Christmas doesn't)? Find out how Easter is determined plus the rarest Easter date!

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St. Patrick's Day is a global celebration of Irish culture that takes place annually on March 17, the anniversary of the patron saint of Ireland's death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years.

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Welcome Mr. Yassel Junco-Mugica!

This is Yassel's first year teaching in our district! He is our Social Studies teacher for 7th Grade. He can be found on the 7th Grade Floor.

Mr. Junco is from Cuba but have been in Syracuse since I was 4.  He went to school in the SCSD and have recently graduated from SUNY Oswego in 2023 and currently is getting his masters.

Yassel is a big fan of movies, music, and reading.

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Ash Wednesday is a Catholic holiday that many celebrate to kick of the season of lent. Check out this cool article that explains everything about Lent and Ash Wednesday.

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Lent is a 40-day season of prayer, fasting and giving that Catholics and some other Christian denominations observe as a time of repentance and closeness to God in preparation for the day of Christ's resurrection, celebrated on Easter.

Ash Wednesday is the kickoff of that season that is one of five on the Catholic liturgical calendar, along with Advent, Christmas, Easter, and Ordinary Time.

That means you may see someone walking around with an ash cross on their forehead this Wednesday. Don't try to clean their forehead: Here's what it means and why the day figures so prominently in the Lenten season.

What is Ash Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday is the first day of the liturgical season of Lent that falls six and half weeks before Easter each year.

Members of the Catholic Church ages 18 to 59 are required to observe Lent and fast on Ash Wednesday, starting at 14-years-old.

Ash Wednesday dates back to the 11th century, according to the Vatican, but the tradition of marking one's forward with ashes is rooted in the ancient Hebrew custom of "clothing oneself in sackcloth and dusting oneself with ashes as a sign of penance," according to Hallow, an app for Catholic prayer and meditation.

When is Ash Wednesday 2024?

This year, Ash Wednesday falls on Feb. 14.

Why is Ash Wednesday important?

Ash Wednesday places Catholics and other denominations of faith in the place of Jesus' entry into the desert before His death. It is a symbolic turning of one's heart towards God, recognizing the brokenness that exists and the need for salvation.

"Ash Wednesday is the perfect opportunity for us all to recommit to many of the things we know we need to do," Hallow CEO Alex Jones said.

For some, it could mean prayer and meditation, Jones added. For others, it could look like fasting food or social media.

"It might be serving at a local shelter or being more generous in our giving. Whatever it is, Lent is the perfect time to take just 40 days and commit to it," Jones said.

What do the ashes symbolize?

The ashes symbolize our mortality.

On Ash Wednesday, you may see neighbors walking around with ash crosses on their foreheads.

During mass on this day, priests will add crosses made of ashes to foreheads reminding Catholics, but you do not need to be Catholic to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday. Other Christian denominations and even those disconnected from traditions of faith, sometimes observe.
When is Easter 2024? How its date is determined each year and why some celebrate.
Can you eat meat on Ash Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are the only two days of fasting and abstinence required by the Catholic Church, though Catholics are encouraged to abstain from meat on Fridays during the 40-day season of Lent.

Christ fasted in the desert for 40 days leading up to His death and resurrection, so believers choose to fast as well according to their own conviction in the days leading up to Easter. Fasting, just like ashes, is a sign of repentance and aims to stir up a spiritual hunger.

What is Lent?

Just as the four-week season of Advent prepares believers for Jesus's birth at Christmas, the 40-day season of Lent prepares believers for Jesus' death and resurrection at Easter.

This time of sacrifice and repentance prepares the heart to receive the reconciliation that Christ offers. An individual gets to choose what they'd like to give up during the time of Lent, as Jones shared.

When does Lent start and end?

This year, Lent starts on Ash Wednesday (Feb. 14) and ends on either March 29, Good Friday, or on March 30, " Holy Saturday," the day before Easter, depending on the denomination.

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What is Ash Wednesday? Here's what to know about the holy day marking the beginning of Lent

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Ash Wednesday marks the start to Lent, when Catholics may be get ashes on their forehead and choose to give something up for the 40-day period.

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President's Day is not only a break for teacher's, (which well deserved and wonderful) but also a week to celebrate our United States Presidents.

Please take the time to learn about our US President's and some of the history.

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"Washington's Birthday was celebrated on February 22nd until well into the 20th century. However, in 1968 Congress passed the Monday Holiday Law to 'provide uniform annual observances of certain legal public holidays on Mondays.' By creating more 3-day weekends, Congress hoped to 'bring substantial benefits to both the spiritual and economic life of the Nation.'

"One of the provisions of this act changed the observance of Washington's Birthday from February 22nd to the third Monday in February. Ironically, this guaranteed that the holiday would never be celebrated on Washington's actual birthday, as the third Monday in February cannot fall any later than February 21.

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Observed the third Monday of February, the day honors all former U.S. presidents. President Washington was born Feb. 22, 1732. Lincoln was born Feb. 12, 1809.

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Happy Valentine's Day!

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The Legend of St. Valentine

The history of Valentine's Day-and the story of its patron saint-is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite?

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Still others insist that it was Saint Valentine of Terni, a bishop, who was the true namesake of the holiday. He, too, was beheaded by Claudius II outside Rome.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl-possibly his jailor's daughter-who visited him during his confinement.

Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and-most importantly-romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.

Origins of Valentine's Day: A Pagan Festival in February

While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial-which probably occurred around A.D. 270-others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to "Christianize" the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. They would then strip the goat's hide into strips, dip them into the sacrificial blood and take to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide.

Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed the touch of the hides because it was believed to make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage.

Valentine's Day Meaning: A Day of Romance and Love

Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity but was outlawed-as it was deemed "un-Christian"-at the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day. It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively associated with love.

During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of Valentine's Day should be a day for romance. The English poet Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to record St. Valentine's Day as a day of romantic celebration in his 1375 poem "Parliament of Foules," writing, "For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne's day / Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate."

Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written Valentine's didn't begin to appear until after 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. (The greeting is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England.) Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

Who Is Cupid?

Cupid is often portrayed on Valentine's Day cards as a naked cherub launching arrows of love at unsuspecting lovers. But the Roman God Cupid has his roots in Greek mythology as the Greek god of love, Eros. Accounts of his birth vary; some say he is the son of Nyx and Erebus; others, of Aphrodite and Ares; still others suggest he is the son of Iris and Zephyrus or even Aphrodite and Zeus (who would have been both his father and grandfather).

According to the Greek Archaic poets, Eros was a handsome immortal played with the emotions of Gods and men, using golden arrows to incite love and leaden ones to sow aversion. It wasn't until the Hellenistic period that he began to be portrayed as the mischievous, chubby child he'd become on Valentine's Day cards.

Valentine's Day Greetings and Gifts

In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century.

By the middle of the 18th, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes, and by 1900 printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings.

Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the "Mother of the Valentine," made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap."

Today, according to Hallmark, an estimated 145 million Valentine's Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year (more cards are sent at Christmas).

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Valentine's Day 2024: Origins, Background & Traditions | HISTORY

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What are the historical origins and meaning of Valentine's Day? Get the facts. Learn how romantic cards and chocolates helped commercialize this day of love.

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In the cafeteria at lunch, there were be a "store". This store entails snacks, drinks and various other items. Students can bring in CASH ONLY. All sales will be done during lunch-time.

Spread the word to our scholars and come check it out!

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Mr. Carpio and the 7th graders are selling friendship bracelets for $2!

Feel Free to check them out and reach out to him if you have any questions!

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This is an updated information on all the happenings during BLM around the country.

It starts on February 1st and ends on March 1st. This is a great way to learn about it and teach our scholars.

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Special Display

February 1-28

Black Resistance

This small, curated display explores how African Americans have resisted historic and ongoing oppression-in many forms-from America's earliest days into the 21st century. Items featured are from the Rare Book and Special Collections, Manuscript, and Prints and Photographs Divisions.

(Library of Congress)

Documentary Film and Discussion

February 8

Through the African American Lens: Afrofuturism: The Origin Story - A Smithsonian Channel Documentary

In support of NMAAHC's newest exhibition, Afrofuturism - A History of Black Futures, the public programs department will present the Afrofuturism: The Origin Story documentary produced by the Smithsonian Channel. This film features insights from renowned scholar and artist Ytasha Womack with Kevin Strait, NMAAHC curator of the Afrofuturism exhibition, and contributor to its companion collection of essays.

(National Museum of African American History and Culture)

Online Research Seminar

February 8

African Americans in Business: Doing Historical Company Research

Explore historical company research through the 2023 Black History Month theme of "Resistance," featuring historic Black barbers who resisted the status quo by supporting black education and civil rights movements. Led by Business Reference and Research Specialists, we plan on covering print and electronic sources - both free and subscription - as well as giving a few tips and tricks picked up over the years. This event will take place over Zoom. Online registration is free at the link above.

(Library of Congress)

Online Book Discussion

February 9

Art AfterWords: A Book Discussion

The National Portrait Gallery and the DC Public Library would like to invite you to a robust conversation about gender, social movements, and protest music. Join us as we analyze a portrait of human rights activist and musical artist Odetta and discuss the related Smithsonian Folkways Recording, "Voices of the Civil Rights Movement: Black American Freedom Songs 1960-1966" by various artists.

(National Portrait Gallery)

Online Event

February 23

Live! At the Library: African American Folk Music with Jake Blount

A powerfully gifted musician and a scholar of Black American music, Jake Blount speaks ardently about the African roots of the banjo and the subtle, yet profound ways African Americans have shaped and defined the categories of roots music and Americana. This event is free, but tickets are required. They are available via the link above.

(Library of Congress)

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February 1-28 Black Resistance This small, curated display explores how African Americans have resisted historic and ongoing oppression-in many forms-from America's earliest days into the 21st century. Items featured are from the Rare Book and Special Collections, Manuscript, and Prints and Photographs Divisions.

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At lunch time, 6th class members are selling lollipops! There are so many different yummy flavors and are each $1.

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Will Punxsutawney Phill see his shadow? Will Spring come early or will we have more winter? Read about the holiday with this article!

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Why The Groundhog Deserves A Little Respect

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Groundhog Day is celebrated every year on February 2. What does a groundhog have to do with weather? We explain.

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Read this article to learn more about MLK Day. You might even find something that you didn't know.

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a pivotal figure in the civil rights movement, dedicated his life to advocating for racial harmony and the realization of the American dream for all.

As the U.S. comes together to celebrate his life and legacy on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, TIME has compiled a number of lesser-known facts about the man whose unwavering commitment to justice and equality shaped the course of American history.

He was the first Black person to be named TIME Man of the Year

TIME named King as the 1963 " Man of the Year," making the civil rights leader the first Black person to receive the honor. "Few can explain the extraordinary King mystique," TIME wrote in the story. "Yet he has an indescribable capacity for empathy that is the touchstone of leadership. By deed and by preachment, he has stirred in his people a Christian forbearance that nourishes hope and smothers injustice."

King later said that being named TIME Man of the Year -now Person of the Year-was a tribute to the entire civil rights movement, and commended the magazine for prominently featuring a Black person on its cover.

MLK improvised part of his 'I have a dream' speech

The resounding "I have a dream" speech that Martin Luther King Jr. delivered at the March on Washington in 1963 almost didn't include those powerful words. His advisors thought he had overused the theme in his speeches, prompting him to draft a different speech for the address titled "Normalcy Never Again."

But as King addressed the crowd of nearly 250,000 in Washington, gospel singer Mahalia Jackson called out to him: "Tell 'em about the dream, Martin."

He paused, and then decided to leave his prepared notes behind to improvise the entire next section of his speech, which famously begins: "So even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

An assassination attempt affirmed his faith in nonviolence

A decade before his death, King narrowly escaped an assassination attempt while signing copies of his memoir about the year-long Montgomery Bus Boycott, Stride Toward Freedom, in Harlem. Izola Ware Curry, a 42-year-old Black woman, approached him and thrust a seven-inch ivory-handled steel letter opener into his chest with such force that it snapped the handle. "I've been after him for six years. I'm glad I done it!" she reportedly shouted. The blade stopped just beside his heart, and doctors later told him that if he had so much as sneezed, he would not have survived.

After the incident, King said that he bore no animus toward the woman and did not want charges pressed, reiterating his commitment to nonviolence. Curry was committed to a mental hospital and died in 2015.

King is the only non-President whose birthday is a national holiday

The push for a federal holiday in honor of King began just four days after his assassination on April 4, 1968. But despite the national significance of King's death, legislation to establish a holiday in his honor faced years of stagnation.

For 15 years, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), with the help of Rep. Shirley A. Chisholm (D-N.Y.), tried to pass legislation that would designate a national holiday in observance of King's birthday. The bill finally came to a vote in the House in 1979, but it was rejected by five votes despite the backing of President Jimmy Carter. Congressman Gene Taylor (R-Mo.) led the opposition citing the added cost of a federal holiday. "I do not believe our present economic situation will allow us the luxury of another $212 million Federal holiday," Taylor said.

Public support for the bill began to grow after Motown singer and songwriter Stevie Wonder released a song called "Happy Birthday," a tribute to King that added momentum to the campaign to designate his birthday as a federal holiday. Legislation was signed into law in 1983, 15 years after his death, by President Ronald Reagan.

It wasn't until 2000 that MLK Day was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time.

King started college at 15

King skipped grades 9-12 and by the age of 15 was admitted to Morehouse College, a prestigious historically Black college in Atlanta that both his father and maternal grandfather attended.

Despite being part of a lineage of Baptist ministers, King was initially resistant to a career in the ministry due to his discomfort with the emotionality of Black church congregations. But Morehouse college president Benjamin E. Mays and his philosophy teacher George D. Kelsey, both ordained ministers, persuaded him to reconsider. King became an ordained minister in his father's church while an undergrad, and later pursued religious and philosophy studies at the racially-integrated Crozer Theological Seminary and the University of Pennsylvania. It was during this time that King, influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's teachings, embraced the idea of nonviolent resistance as a constructive force for societal change.

The King family paid hospital bill for Julia Roberts' birth

Actress Julia Roberts revealed that the King family covered her parents' hospital expenses when she was born in 1967. "My parents couldn't pay for the hospital," she told Gayle King in a 2022 interview on the History Channel.

Roberts explained that her parents owned a theater school in Atlanta, and that Coretta Scott King asked if her children could enroll. "They were having a hard time finding a place that would accept her kids, and my mom was like, 'Sure come on over,'" Roberts said. "And so they all just became friends and they helped us out of a jam."

King was arrested 30 times

Like many civil rights activists of the time, King faced numerous arrests-often on trumped-up charges-as part of a deliberate strategy by police to harass and intimidate. According to the King Center, he was arrested a total of 30 times, mostly for acts of civil disobedience such as the Atlanta department store sit-in and demonstrating without a permit. Others stemmed from unfounded allegations, including his arrest in Montgomery, Ala. for driving 30 miles per hour in a 25-mile-per-hour zone.

His family believes James Earl Ray was framed for his assassination

Although the federal government has consistently said that James Earl Ray was the assassin responsible for King's death, there's a lingering belief within his family that Ray is innocent and was framed to shoulder the blame.

The King family filed a civil suit against the U.S. government in 1999 to force more information about the assassination into the public eye, and a Memphis jury ruled that King's death was the result of a conspiracy and that he did not die at the hands of a lone gunman. The jury reached a verdict that James Earl Ray was not the shooter, but was framed to take the blame, with local, state and federal governments liable for King's death.

"There is abundant evidence," Coretta King said after the verdict, "of a major, high-level conspiracy in the assassination of my husband." The jury found the mafia and various government agencies "were deeply involved in the assassination... Mr. Ray was set up to take the blame." The King family was awarded damages of $100, which they chose to donate to charity. The family said they sought the small amount because their motive was to pursue the truth rather than make money.

He was the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

At the age of 35, King became the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, recognized for his commitment to nonviolent resistance against racial oppression. The accolade followed a remarkable year during which he spearheaded the March on Washington, delivering his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech, played a role in ratifying the 24th Amendment that abolished the poll tax, and contributed to the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited racial discrimination in employment and education.

King reportedly donated the prize money, amounting to $53,123, to support the civil rights movement.

He was named after Protestant reformer Martin Luther

King was born Michael King Jr. on Jan. 15, 1929. But in 1934, his father, a pastor at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church also named Michael King, went on a religious trip around the world and was inspired by Germany's Protestant Reformation figure Martin Luther, whose advocacy and teachings challenged the Catholic Church and contributed to the split in Western Christianity.

After returning to the U.S., his father made the decision to change his five-year-old son's name-and his own-in honor of the Protestant reformation leader. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birth certificate was officially revised on July 23, 1957.

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10 Surprising Facts About Martin Luther King Jr.

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a pivotal figure in the civil rights movement, dedicated his life to advocating for racial harmony.

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Welcome Mr. Alexander Petkopoulous!

This is Alex's first year in our district! He is our Math Tutorial teacher for 6th Grade and joined the 6th grade team around November. He can be found on the 6th grade floor, across from Ms. Nair. Mr. Petko is thrilled to help the kids see the world through the lens of mathematics. I'm a big advocate for continuous improvement and trying new challenges, because it is the best way to learn and grow.

I like to work with electronics and computers, and also I play bass guitar in a rock band. My father owns Darwin's, downtown.

We are thrilled to have Mr. Petko here at Syracuse STEM @ Blodgett.

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Check out this article that gives details that you may want to consider or share with your students!

I learned a lot of interesting things about New Years!

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With a tough year coming to an end, we can't help but hope for a better and brighter future. Of course, the transition to another year wouldn't be complete without celebrating New Year's Eve! We deserve to eat good food, reunite with family and relatives, party with friends, and have the best New Year countdown. After all, NYE is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the world.

However, this occasion didn't become popular overnight. Several historical moments paved the way to making New Year's Eve the holiday that we know and love today. Read on to know the history of New Year's Eve and appreciate the holiday more!

How New Year Celebrations Began

The first known record of New Year's celebrations began about 2000 B.C. in Mesopotamia. This occurred at the time of the vernal equinox, which is toward the end of March. Babylonians would have a religious festival named Akitu taken from the Sumerian term for barley. They'd perform various rituals, which would last for 11 days.

Besides celebrating the New Year, Atiku also marked the time that Marduk, Babylonian's sky god, defeated Tiamat, the evil sea goddess. Meanwhile, the New Year for Persians, Egyptians, and Phoenicians would start in the fall equinox. Greeks used to celebrate the New Year during the winter solstice.

March 1 as the New Year

In the early Roman calendar, there were 10 months or 304 days only. Then, it was March 1 that marked the New Year. So, the ninth through twelfth months or September through December that we often hear was first called seventh through tenth months.

January 1 as the New Year

The origin of January 1 marking the New Year dates back to 46 B.C., when Julius Caesar developed the solar-based Julian calendar. This was after the old lunar-based Roman calendar became ineffective.

Another reason behind making January 1 the start of the New Year was to honor Janus - the Roman god of beginnings who had two faces. This means that he could go back to the past and move forward to the future.

To celebrate the occasion, ancient people would offer sacrifices to the god of beginnings, add laurel branches to their homes as decorations, and exchange gifts.

However, the New Year celebrations were paganistic. So, January 1 was removed as the start of the year. December 25, the day Jesus was born, was then considered the beginning of the New Year. March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation, was also used as a replacement for January 1.

Gregorian Calendar

NYE in the Gregorian calendar occurs on December 31. In late 1582, Pope Gregory XIII implemented this calendar in Rome. Minimal changes were applied to the Julian calendar introduced by Julius Caesar.

As the lunar cycle calendar became a solar year calendar, some days had to be removed as well. So, days after October 4, 1582, were changed to October 15. You can only imagine what people born on October 5 to 14 felt!

While the Catholic church first followed the Gregorian calendar, other European countries, like Germany, Denmark, Russia, and Scotland, slowly adopted it. Today, the Gregorian calendar is also the one used in different countries.

New Year's Eve: Different Celebrations and Traditions

You can't say goodbye to 2021 and welcome another year without celebrating New Year's Eve. Various countries have their own traditions and celebrations, but there are also common ways to celebrate this special occasion.

Eating Good Luck Food

One of the highlights of New Year's Eve is the different kinds of food to be shared with family and friends. However, as we're anticipating a better year, we also love to pick those that have meanings and let us bring good luck, like the following examples:

12 Grapes at Midnight

A popular tradition in Spain includes eating 12 grapes on New Year's Eve - that's one grape at each stroke of the clock at midnight. These grapes represent the 12 months, and you have to eat all of them to enjoy a lucky year. Otherwise, the upcoming year might be harsh to you. So, you better chew all of them before the clock stops chiming!

In Greece, Mexico, the Netherlands, and other countries, round cakes symbolize the circle of life. Others would put some trinkets or coins inside the cake. Then, if you're lucky to get it, you're expected to experience good luck in the coming year.

Pigs symbolize progress in countries like Austria, Portugal, and Cuba. So, eating pork on New Years' Eve is common as a way to attract prosperity for the next 365 days.

Legumes look like old Roman coins and symbolize financial prosperity. That is why Italians have lentils, and Americans add black-eyed peas to their dishes on New Year's Eve.

Long noodles are thought to give you a longer and healthier life. You're supposed to eat them while making sure they don't break in half. Meanwhile, in Japan, people eat soba noodles on NYE to symbolize their journey from the old year to the new one. This also means leaving behind their regrets in the last year.

Wearing the Right Underwear

A few countries, particularly in Latin America, have this superstition that you can manifest success and prosperity if you choose the right color of underwear. For instance, if you want to get lucky in love and relationships, wear red underwear on NYE. Meanwhile, yellow underwear could bring you luck, money, and happiness.

Sharing a Midnight Kiss

Another popular New Year's Eve tradition that most people, if not all, love is the midnight kiss - with your partner or even a new friend. Wondering how this part of the history of New Year's Eve started? It's thought to be from Saturnalia, a pagan festival in ancient Rome, which involved a lot of singing, dancing, drinking, socializing, sharing gifts, and kissing!

In German and English folklore, a midnight kiss is a great way to start the New Year as it would help you bring good luck. Also, it's believed that the person you kissed contributes to the fate of your year. So, you might want to pick your partner carefully.

Making New Year's Resolutions

From achieving a healthier body, spending more time with family, and pursuing goals and aspirations, to loving ourselves more, we're fond of creating New Year's resolutions. However, did you know that this tradition started about four millennia ago? Babylonians would make promises to the gods to ask for a better year.

Then, Romans would also offer sacrifices and promise Janus to show good deeds. These include returning farm tools that they borrowed from others and settling their debts. Meanwhile, Christians treat the occasion as a time to learn from their shortcomings in the past year and focus on ways to become better for the upcoming year. While the spiritual side of New Year's resolutions is gone, creating New Year's resolutions has been centered on personal development.

Throwing Fireworks

Ringing in the New Year also involves throwing fireworks or using different types of noisemakers. If you want to know when or where the firework tradition began, we have to go back to the seventh century A.D. in China.

Fireworks were meant to scare off evil spirits. They're also known to bring prosperity and good luck. Even different designs and colors correspond to various types of luck, including fertility, love, and health.

Keeping Doors and Windows Open

It may be cold on New Year's Eve, so keeping your doors and windows open might not be a good idea. However, in the Philippines, doing this at midnight helps you get rid of the negative energy from last year and attract good energy for the upcoming year.

Hanging Onions on Your Door

This sounds like another bad idea as your home might not look or smell great during New Year's Eve. However, in Greece, this practice means growth and rebirth. Parents would then ask their children to put the onions on their heads to draw good luck for the year to come.

Throwing Water Out the Window

Another practice believed to ward off evil spirits is throwing water out the window on NYE. This is especially popular in Latin America. The tradition also symbolizes renewal, making it a good way to say goodbye to the old year and start a new one.

Wearing White Clothing

In Brazil, a beach getaway is a common way to celebrate New Year. However, people there also love to wear white outfits during New Year's Eve to experience good luck and peace for next year.

Singing Auld Lang Syne

If you've been to some New Year's Eve party, you must have heard people singing the Scottish song "Auld Lang Syne." In the English language, it means "old long since" or "for the sake of old times." Want to know more about the origin of this popular song? In 1788, Robert Burns wrote this poem in the Scots language. However, it was inspired by a Scottish folk song.

Even if you don't know or understand the lyrics, you'll still enjoy it, with everyone forming a circle, singing, and holding each other's hands. While "Auld Lang Syne" is about old friends and memories, it's also a perfect song to bid farewell to an old year and welcome a new one.

Dropping the Ball on NYE

Watching the ball drop at midnight - either in person or on TV - in Times Square has been embedded in the history of New Year's Eve too. However, you might ask how this tradition even began. Back in the day, sailors would use what's known as time balls or chronometers for setting their timepieces. Through a spyglass, they would navigate the harbor and find balls thrown into the water at specific periods.

In 1829, the earliest time ball was dropped in Portsmouth. England. Another one was used in 1845 in Washington, D.C. Then, in 1907, the tradition of dropping the ball in Times Square on New Year's Eve began.

Having a Toast

One of the most popular ways to welcome the upcoming year is to make a champagne toast. It originates from Christians' tradition of drinking wine in the Eucharist symbolizing the blood of Christ.

In the Champagne region in France, wine started becoming present during baptisms. Thus, it was slowly being used in any religious gatherings. Ancient people would also raise their glass and drink to health and honor. Now, individuals from different parts of the world would make that toast to ring in the New Year.

Spend the Best New Year's Eve With Denver Resolution

Knowing more about the history of New Year's Eve indeed helps us understand the occasion more and its meaning. Of course, singing, dancing, and drinking are all parts of the NYE tradition.

Want to try the most satisfying drinks made by over 40 bartenders, enjoy live music together with top-rated DJs, watch breathtaking light shows, and witness a venue-wide New Year countdown? Make sure not to skip Resolution New Years Eve in Denver. Get your tickets now , and join the biggest NYE party in the Mile High City!

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The History of New Year's Eve | How NYE Celebrations Started

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The transition to another year wouldn't be complete without celebrating New Year's Eve! NYE is the most widely celebrated holidays in the world...

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Kwanzaa, annual holiday affirming African family and social values that is celebrated primarily in the United States from December 26 to January 1. Both the name and the celebration were devised in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, a professor of Africana studies at California State University in Long Beach and an important figure in Afrocentrism.

The concept of Kwanzaa draws on Southern African first-fruits celebrations.

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Who typically observes Kwanzaa?

How is Kwanzaa celebrated?

How was Kwanzaa popularized?

Is Kwanzaa a religious holiday?

This article was most recently revised and updated by

Kwanzaa, annual holiday affirming African family and social values that is celebrated primarily in the United States from December 26 to January 1. Both the name and the celebration were devised in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, a professor of Africana studies at California State University in Long Beach and an important figure in Afrocentrism. Karenga borrowed the word kwanza, meaning "first," from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, adding the seventh letter, an extra a, to make the word long enough to accommodate one letter for each of the seven children present at an early celebration. (The name Kwanzaa is not itself a Swahili word.) The concept of Kwanzaa draws on Southern African first-fruits celebrations.

Although Kwanzaa is primarily an African American holiday, it has also come to be celebrated outside the United States, particularly in Caribbean and other countries where there are large numbers of descendants of Africans. It was conceived as a nonpolitical and nonreligious holiday, and it is not considered to be a substitute for Christmas.

Each of the days of the celebration is dedicated to one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa: unity ( umoja), self-determination ( kujichagulia), collective responsibility ( ujima), cooperative economics ( ujamaa), purpose ( nia), creativity ( kuumba), and faith ( imani). There also are seven symbols of the holiday: fruits, vegetables, and nuts; a straw mat; a candleholder; ears of corn (maize); gifts; a communal cup signifying unity; and seven candles in the African colours of red, green, and black, symbolizing the seven principles. On each day the family comes together to light one of the candles in the kinara, or candleholder, and to discuss the principle for the day. On December 31, families join in a community feast called the karamu. Some participants wear traditional African clothing during the celebration.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Alicja Zelazko.

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Kwanzaa | History, Traditions, Dates, Symbols, & Facts

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Kwanzaa, annual holiday affirming African family and social values that is celebrated primarily in the United States from December 26 to January 1. Both the name and the celebration were devised in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, a professor of Africana studies and an important figure in Afrocentrism.

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Christmas is celebrated on December 25 and is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon.

Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion.

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How Did Christmas Start?

The middle of winter has long been a time of celebration around the world. Centuries before the arrival of the man called Jesus, early Europeans celebrated light and birth in the darkest days of winter. Many peoples rejoiced during the winter solstice, when the worst of the winter was behind them and they could look forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight.

In Scandinavia, the Norse celebrated Yule from December 21, the winter solstice, through January. In recognition of the return of the sun, fathers and sons would bring home large logs, which they would set on fire. The people would feast until the log burned out, which could take as many as 12 days. The Norse believed that each spark from the fire represented a new pig or calf that would be born during the coming year.

The end of December was a perfect time for celebration in most areas of Europe. At that time of year, most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter. For many, it was the only time of year when they had a supply of fresh meat. In addition, most wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking.

In Germany, people honored the pagan god Oden during the mid-winter holiday. Germans were terrified of Oden, as they believed he made nocturnal flights through the sky to observe his people, and then decide who would prosper or perish. Because of his presence, many people chose to stay inside.

Saturnalia and Christmas

In Rome, where winters were not as harsh as those in the far north, Saturnalia-a holiday in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture-was celebrated. Beginning in the week leading up to the winter solstice and continuing for a full month, Saturnalia was a hedonistic time, when food and drink were plentiful and the normal Roman social order was turned upside down. For a month, enslaved people were given temporary freedom and treated as equals. Business and schools were closed so that everyone could participate in the holiday's festivities.

Also around the time of the winter solstice, Romans observed Juvenalia, a feast honoring the children of Rome. In addition, members of the upper classes often celebrated the birthday of Mithra, the god of the unconquerable sun, on December 25. It was believed that Mithra, an infant god, was born of a rock. For some Romans, Mithra's birthday was the most sacred day of the year.

Is Christmas Really the Day Jesus Was Born?

In the early years of Christianity, Easter was the main holiday; the birth of Jesus was not celebrated. In the fourth century, church officials decided to institute the birth of Jesus as a holiday. Unfortunately, the Bible does not mention date for his birth (a fact Puritans later pointed out in order to deny the legitimacy of the celebration). Although some evidence suggests that his birth may have occurred in the spring (why would shepherds be herding in the middle of winter?), Pope Julius I chose December 25. It is commonly believed that the church chose this date in an effort to adopt and absorb the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival. First called the Feast of the Nativity, the custom spread to Egypt by 432 and to England by the end of the sixth century.

By holding Christmas at the same time as traditional winter solstice festivals, church leaders increased the chances that Christmas would be popularly embraced, but gave up the ability to dictate how it was celebrated. By the Middle Ages, Christianity had, for the most part, replaced pagan religion.

On Christmas, believers attended church, then celebrated raucously in a drunken, carnival-like atmosphere similar to today's Mardi Gras. Each year, a beggar or student would be crowned the "lord of misrule" and eager celebrants played the part of his subjects. The poor would go to the houses of the rich and demand their best food and drink. If owners failed to comply, their visitors would most likely terrorize them with mischief. Christmas became the time of year when the upper classes could repay their real or imagined "debt" to society by entertaining less fortunate citizens.

When Christmas Was Cancelled

In the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform changed the way Christmas was celebrated in Europe. When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in 1645, they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas. By popular demand, Charles II was restored to the throne and, with him, came the return of the popular holiday.

The pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. By contrast, in the Jamestown settlement, Captain John Smith reported that Christmas was enjoyed by all and passed without incident.

After the American Revolution, English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. In fact, Christmas wasn't declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870.

Washington Irving Reinvents Christmas in America

It wasn't until the 19th century that Americans began to embrace Christmas. Americans re-invented Christmas, and changed it from a raucous carnival holiday into a family-centered day of peace and nostalgia. But what about the 1800s piqued American interest in the holiday?

The early 19th century was a period of class conflict and turmoil. During this time, unemployment was high and gang rioting by the disenchanted classes often occurred during the Christmas season. In 1828, the New York city council instituted the city's first police force in response to a Christmas riot. This catalyzed certain members of the upper classes to begin to change the way Christmas was celebrated in America.

In 1819, best-selling author Washington Irving wrote The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, gent., a series of stories about the celebration of Christmas in an English manor house. The sketches feature a squire who invited the peasants into his home for the holiday. In contrast to the problems faced in American society, the two groups mingled effortlessly. In Irving's mind, Christmas should be a peaceful, warm-hearted holiday bringing groups together across lines of wealth or social status. Irving's fictitious celebrants enjoyed "ancient customs," including the crowning of a Lord of Misrule. Irving's book, however, was not based on any holiday celebration he had attended-in fact, many historians say that Irving's account actually "invented" tradition by implying that it described the true customs of the season.

'A Christmas Carol'

Also around this time, English author Charles Dickens created the classic holiday tale, A Christmas Carol. The story's message-the importance of charity and good will towards all humankind-struck a powerful chord in the United States and England and showed members of Victorian society the benefits of celebrating the holiday.

The family was also becoming less disciplined and more sensitive to the emotional needs of children during the early 1800s. Christmas provided families with a day when they could lavish attention-and gifts-on their children without appearing to "spoil" them.

As Americans began to embrace Christmas as a perfect family holiday, old customs were unearthed. People looked toward recent immigrants and Catholic and Episcopalian churches to see how the day should be celebrated. In the next 100 years, Americans built a Christmas tradition all their own that included pieces of many other customs, including decorating trees, sending holiday cards and gift-giving.

Although most families quickly bought into the idea that they were celebrating Christmas how it had been done for centuries, Americans had really re-invented a holiday to fill the cultural needs of a growing nation.

Who Invented Santa Claus?

The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back to a monk named St. Nicholas who was born in Turkey around A. D. 280. St. Nicholas gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick, becoming known as the protector of children and sailors.

St. Nicholas first entered American popular culture in the late 18th century in New York, when Dutch families gathered to honor the anniversary of the death of "Sint Nikolaas" (Dutch for Saint Nicholas), or "Sinter Klaas" for short. "Santa Claus" draws his name from this abbreviation.

In 1822, Episcopal minister Clement Clarke Moore wrote a Christmas poem called "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas," more popularly known today by it's first line: "'Twas The Night Before Christmas." The poem depicted Santa Claus as a jolly man who flies from home to home on a sled driven by reindeer to deliver toys.

The iconic version of Santa Claus as a jolly man in red with a white beard and a sack of toys was immortalized in 1881, when political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew on Moore's poem to create the image of Old Saint Nick we know today.

Christmas Facts

Each year, 25-30 million real Christmas trees are sold in the United States alone. There are about 15,000 Christmas tree farms in the United States, and trees usually grow for between four and 15 years before they are sold.

In the Middle Ages, Christmas celebrations were rowdy and raucous-a lot like today's Mardi Gras parties.

When Christmas was cancelled: From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was outlawed in Boston, and law-breakers were fined five shillings.

Christmas was declared a federal holiday in the United States on June 26, 1870.

The first eggnog made in the United States was consumed in Captain John Smith's 1607 Jamestown settlement.

Poinsettia plants are named after Joel R. Poinsett, an American minister to Mexico, who brought the red-and-green plant from Mexico to America in 1828.

The Salvation Army has been sending Santa Claus-clad donation collectors into the streets since the 1890s.

Rudolph, "the most famous reindeer of all," was the product of Robert L. May's imagination in 1939. The copywriter wrote a poem about the reindeer to help lure customers into the Montgomery Ward department store.

Construction workers started the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree tradition in 1931.

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History of Christmas - Origins, Traditions & Facts | HISTORY

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Christmas is celebrated on December 25 and is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. For two millennia, people around the world have been observing it with traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in nature.

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Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday, often referred to as the "Festival of Lights." Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days and nights, starting on the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev, which may fall anywhere between late November and early December on the secular calendar. For eight nights, families say prayers and then light candles in an eight-branched candelabra called a menorah.

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Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday, often referred to as the "Festival of Lights." Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days and nights, starting on the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev, which may fall anywhere between late November and early December on the secular calendar. For eight nights, families say prayers and then light candles in an eight-branched candelabra called a menorah. Most families also serve special holiday foods, sing songs, play games, and give gifts including Hanukah gelt (chocolate coins).

In 2019, Hanukkah will be celebrated Sunday, December 22 through Monday, December 30.

The Hanukkah Story

The Hanukkah story is based on historical events that took place in 165 BCE in Jerusalem. After the Second Temple in Jerusalem was desecrated by the Seleucid Emperor Antiochus IV and his Greco-Syrian troops, Jewish priest Mattathias and his sons rebelled. Retaking Jerusalem and the Temple, they lit the holy lamp (the menorah) but had only enough oil for one night. Miraculously, the lamp stayed lit for eight days until enough holy oil could be procured.

Hanukkah is a minor Jewish holiday as compared to the high holidays of Rosh Hashonah and Yom Kippur or to Purim and Passover. It became a more significant holiday in the western world because of its proximity to Christmas and the desire among more secular Jews to participate in the cultural build-up to the winter solstice; as a result, gift-giving (in addition to the traditional gift of Hanukkah gelt) is more popular in the west than in other parts of the world. While the traditions of Hanukkah are similar around the world, each country has its own unique twist. In parts of France, for example, families light a double-decker (16-candle) menorah, while in Morocco fried treats are made with fruit juice and orange zest.

When Is Hanukkah?

Jewish holidays are calculated using the Hebrew calendar, which is based on the lunar cycle and the seasons. It was created in ancient times based on observations of the appearance of the crescent moon. This means that the dates of holidays vary from year to year based not on the Gregorian calendar but on the phases of the moon (which last 29.5 days). Some years are longer or shorter than others, but instead of adding a leap day every four years, the Hebrew calendar adds a full lunar month to seven out of every 19 years.

The Hebrew calendar doesn't start on January 1 but instead starts in the fall. Hanukkah falls on the 25th day of the third month, called Kislev. In longer years, Hanukkah occurs near the end of December, while in shorter years it falls nearer the end of November.

How Is Hanukkah Celebrated?

According to Jewish law, Hanukkah is one of the less important Jewish holidays. However, Hanukkah has become much more popular in modern practice because of its proximity to Christmas. Unlike many other holidays, Hanukkah is truly a family event; it is all about enjoying time together. Every community has its unique Hanukkah traditions, but there are some traditions that are almost universally practiced.

Eight Nights

Hanukkah is celebrated for eight nights in a row; it is unlikely that any given family will have a major family celebration for every one of those nights, but they are almost certain to light Hanukkah candles and say blessings each night. On the Friday of Hanukkah, more observant families may also light Shabbat (sabbath) candles and say blessings after the Hanukkah candles are lit. There are also complex Talmudic rules governing the placement of the menorah, the quality of the candles, and the treatment of the candles and their wicks after use; these are followed by a minority of families who may follow more orthodox forms of Judaism.

Lighting the Menorah

Every year it is customary to commemorate the miracle of the Hanukkah oil by lighting candles on a menorah. Each family has its own menorah, an eight-branched candelabra with a spot for a ninth candle in the center. The central candle (the shamash) is lit, and that candle is used to light one additional candle each night until, on the eighth night, all of the candles are lit.

Special blessings are said or sung in Hebrew before the Hanukkah candles are lit; three are sung on the first day and two on each of the remaining days. The candles are allowed to burn down each night and are replaced the following day.

Because Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of the oil, it is traditional to eat fried foods such as latkes and sufganiyot during the holiday.

Latkes are pancakes made out of potatoes and onions, which are fried in oil and then served with applesauce.

Sufganiyot (singular: sufganiyah) are jelly-filled donuts that are fried and sometimes dusted with confectioners' sugar before eating.

Blintzes are thin pancakes wrapped around a sweet cheese filling and fried.

Kugel is a sweet or savory casserole made with either potatoes or noodles.

Other traditional foods include brisket (a particular cut of beef), tsimmis (a sweet vegetable stew), challah (braided egg bread), and gefilte fish (minced whitefish shaped into an oval).

The Dreidel Game

A dreidel is a four-sided top with one Hebrew letter written on each side.

Together, the letters stand for the Hebrew phrase "Nes Gadol Haya Sham." This phrase means "A great miracle happened there [in Israel]."

To play the game, players place bets with foil-covered coins called Hanukkah gelt and spin the dreidel. Depending on how the dreidel lands, players receive or give back all or some of their gelt.

While gift-giving is not part of the ancient Hanukkah tradition, it has become a part of western celebrations-largely because it occurs during the Christmas season. Some families give gifts on every night; some give only small tokens while others give larger presents. Often, Hanukkah gelt is given to children on the first night so that it can be used to play the dreidel game on succeeding nights.

Hanukkah, Hannukah, or Chanukah?

Hanukkah is written חנֻכה or חנוכה (Ḥǎnukkâh) in Hebrew, but there is no direct translation into English (or any other language). It comes from the term "hanukkat hamizbe'ah," meaning "dedication of the altar."

There are at least 16 different ways to spell Hanukkah. There are many different translations of the word, and while some start the word with the "ch" sound (as it would be pronounced in Hebrew) others prefer the anglicized "h" sound. Americans often choose to spell it as Hanukkah because that is the official spelling from the Library of Congress.

Watch Now: Annual Holidays and Special Days in December

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What Is Hanukkah? Dates, Traditions, Story

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Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday, often referred to as the "Festival of Lights." Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days and nights, starting on the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev, which may fall anywhere between late November and early December on the secular calendar.

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Gender Neutral Current Event (January 204)

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Gender Neutral Current Event (January 204)

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This is a current event article (1/2/2024) about gender neutrality in California. It is an interesting article that may help you with students or spark your interest.

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Students worked very hard on fundraising to be able to go on the Washington D.C trip with Mr. Bruton, Ms. Roper, Ms. Miller, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Matteson, Dr. Hernandez and two parent chaperones. They attended this trip from 12/5/23-12/7/23.

While in D.C, they learned about monuments likes FDR and MLK, memorials like Vietnam, and our nations history. They even got to see where President Joe Biden lives and runs the country.

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On Thursday or Friday (1/4/23-1/5/23) during AM crew, a student council member from 6th grade will be coming to all CREW's and presenting the past and projected data for the NWEA ELA and Math tests.

The goal of this presentation is to get kids thinking and talking about their test scores and data. We hope that this will lead to students taking the test more seriously, paying more attention in the few classes leading up to the test, and coming to school ready to take the test.

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St. Nicholas Day is celebrated on December 5th or 6th. St. Nicholas Day is the feast day of St. Nicholas, the fourth century bishop of Myra. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, children are often given cookies, candies and gifts under their pillows or in their shoes and stockings during the feast day. Common St. Nick's Day items include oranges, chocolate coins and candy canes.

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St. Nicholas Day is a German and Dutch Christmas tradition some US cities still celebrate

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St. Nick's Day may not be widely celebrated in the U.S., but it is popular in cities with large German and Dutch populations.

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Thanksgiving Day is an annual national holiday in the United States and Canada. It is celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year.

Americans generally believe that their Thanksgiving is modeled on a 1621 harvest feast shared by the English colonists (Pilgrims) of Plymouth and the Wampanoag people.

In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in November to celebrate gratitude and unity amidst the turmoil of the Civil War.

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Thanksgiving at Plymouth

In September 1620, a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers-an assortment of religious separatists seeking a new home where they could freely practice their faith and other individuals lured by the promise of prosperity and land ownership in the "New World." After a treacherous and uncomfortable crossing that lasted 66 days, they dropped anchor near the tip of Cape Cod, far north of their intended destination at the mouth of the Hudson River. One month later, the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay, where the Pilgrims, as they are now commonly known, began the work of establishing a village at Plymouth.

Did you know? Lobster, seal and swans were on the Pilgrims' menu.

Throughout that first brutal winter, most of the colonists remained on board the ship, where they suffered from exposure, scurvy and outbreaks of contagious disease. Only half of the Mayflower's original passengers and crew lived to see their first New England spring. In March, the remaining settlers moved ashore, where they received an astonishing visit from a member of the Abenaki tribe who greeted them in English.

Several days later, he returned with another Native American, Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe who had been kidnapped by an English sea captain and sold into slavery before escaping to London and returning to his homeland on an exploratory expedition. Squanto taught the Pilgrims, weakened by malnutrition and illness, how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers and avoid poisonous plants. He also helped the settlers forge an alliance with the Wampanoag, a local tribe, which endured for more than 50 years and remains one of the few examples of harmony between European colonists and Native Americans.

When Was the First Thanksgiving?

In November 1621, after the Pilgrims' first corn harvest proved successful, Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast and invited a group of the fledgling colony's Native American allies, including the Wampanoag chief Massasoit. Now remembered as America's "first Thanksgiving"-although the Pilgrims themselves may not have used the term at the time-the festival lasted for three days. While no record exists of the first Thanksgiving's exact menu, much of what we know about what happened at the first Thanksgiving comes from Pilgrim chronicler Edward Winslow, who wrote:

"Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors; they four in one day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deer, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governor, and upon the Captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty."

Historians have suggested that many of the dishes were likely prepared using traditional Native American spices and cooking methods. Because the Pilgrims had no oven and the Mayflower's sugar supply had dwindled by the fall of 1621, the meal did not feature pies, cakes or other desserts, which have become a hallmark of contemporary celebrations

Origins of Thanksgiving National Holiday

Pilgrims held their second Thanksgiving celebration in 1623 to mark the end of a long drought that had threatened the year's harvest and prompted Governor Bradford to call for a religious fast. Days of fasting and thanksgiving on an annual or occasional basis became common practice in other New England settlements as well.

During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress designated one or more days of thanksgiving a year, and in 1789 George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the national government of the United States; in it, he called upon Americans to express their gratitude for the happy conclusion to the country's war of independence and the successful ratification of the U.S. Constitution. His successors John Adams and James Madison also designated days of thanks during their presidencies.

In 1817, New York became the first of several states to officially adopt an annual Thanksgiving holiday; each celebrated it on a different day, however, and the American South remained largely unfamiliar with the tradition.

In 1827, the noted magazine editor and prolific writer Sarah Josepha Hale -author, among countless other things, of the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb"-launched a campaign to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday. For 36 years, she published numerous editorials and sent scores of letters to governors, senators, presidents and other politicians, earning her the nickname the "Mother of Thanksgiving."

Abraham Lincoln finally heeded her request in 1863, at the height of the Civil War, in a proclamation entreating all Americans to ask God to "commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife" and to "heal the wounds of the nation."

He scheduled Thanksgiving for the final Thursday in November, and it was celebrated on that day every year until 1939 when Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday up a week in an attempt to spur retail sales during the Great Depression. Roosevelt's plan, known derisively as Franksgiving, was met with passionate opposition, and in 1941 the president reluctantly signed a bill making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November.

Thanksgiving Food

In many American households, the Thanksgiving celebration has lost much of its original religious significance; instead, it now centers on cooking and sharing a bountiful meal with family and friends. Turkey, a Thanksgiving staple so ubiquitous it has become all but synonymous with the holiday, may or may not have been on offer when the Pilgrims hosted the inaugural feast in 1621.

Today, however, nearly 90 percent of Americans eat the bird-whether roasted, baked or deep-fried-on Thanksgiving, according to the National Turkey Federation. Other traditional foods include stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Volunteering is a common Thanksgiving Day activity, and communities often hold food drives and host free dinners for the less fortunate.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Parades have also become an integral part of the holiday in cities and towns across the United States. Presented by Macy's department store since 1924, New York City's Thanksgiving Day parade is the largest and most famous, attracting some 2 to 3 million spectators along its 2.5-mile route and drawing an enormous television audience. It typically features marching bands, performers, elaborate floats conveying various celebrities and giant balloons shaped like cartoon characters.

Beginning in the mid-20th century and perhaps even earlier, the president of the United States has "pardoned" one or two Thanksgiving turkeys each year, sparing the birds from slaughter and sending them to a farm for retirement. A number of U.S. governors also perform the annual turkey pardoning ritual.

Thanksgiving Controversies

For some scholars, the jury is still out on whether the feast at Plymouth really constituted the first Thanksgiving in the United States. Indeed, historians have recorded other ceremonies of thanks among European settlers in North America that predate the Pilgrims' celebration.

In 1565, for instance, the Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilé invited members of the local Timucua tribe to a dinner in St. Augustine, Florida, after holding a mass to thank God for his crew's safe arrival. On December 4, 1619, when 38 British settlers reached a site known as Berkeley Hundred on the banks of Virginia's James River, they read a proclamation designating the date as "a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God."

Some Native Americans and many others take issue with how the Thanksgiving story is presented to the American public, and especially to schoolchildren. In their view, the traditional narrative paints a deceptively sunny portrait of relations between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people, masking the long and bloody history of conflict between Native Americans and European settlers that resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands. Since 1970, protesters have gathered on the day designated as Thanksgiving at the top of Cole's Hill, which overlooks Plymouth Rock, to commemorate a " National Day of Mourning." Similar events are held in other parts of the country.

Thanksgiving's Ancient Origins

Although the American concept of Thanksgiving developed in the colonies of New England, its roots can be traced both to Native Americans, as well as back to the other side of the Atlantic.

Both the Separatists who came over on the Mayflower and the Puritans who arrived soon after brought with them a tradition of providential holidays-days of fasting during difficult or pivotal moments and days of feasting and celebration to thank God in times of plenty.

As an annual celebration of the harvest and its bounty, moreover, Thanksgiving falls under a category of festivals that spans cultures, continents and millennia. In ancient times, the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans feasted and paid tribute to their gods after the fall harvest. Thanksgiving also bears a resemblance to the ancient Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot.

Finally, historians have noted that Native Americans had a rich tradition of commemorating the fall harvest with feasting and merrymaking long before Europeans set foot on America's shores.

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Thanksgiving 2023 - Tradition, Origins & Meaning | HISTORY

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Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States, and Thanksgiving 2022 occurs on Thursday, November 24. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies.

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Rooted Relationships: Growing Equitable Classroom Communities - BELONG Partners

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Ready to register? Below are the next available dates (all are PT). If you would like to schedule a workshop just for your school or organization, email us at hello@belongpartners.org. Thursdays, January 25 – February 29 (skip Feb 22), 4:30 – 7:30pm Rooted Relationships: Growing Equitable Classroom…

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Welcome Ms. Kayla Cornelius!

This is Kayla's first year in our district. She started the year as a Math teacher! Around October she was asked to fill the 7th grade Special Education Teacher position. She gladly accepted as she is also currently going to school at Syracuse University for Special Education. She also teaches one class of Resource to 4 lovely 6th graders. Kayla can be found in Room 208 or on the 7th grade floor.

Kayla is a member of the Onondaga Nation and taught Social Studies at ONS last year. She is also creating an Indigenous Club through DEB, here at Syracuse STEM. Kayla is also Mom to 3 adorable children, two boys and one girl. Every morning she enjoys her Dunkin Donuts and is always bundled up.

Welcome! We are so excited you are here!

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Read this interesting article about the benefits of gender-neutral bathrooms for our young students.

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(Toby Talbot / Associated Press)

This is the March 7, 2022, edition of the 8 to 3 newsletter about school, kids and parenting. Like what you're reading? Sign up to get it in your inbox every Monday.
Good morning, 8-to-3 readers. I've spent the last two weeks reporting on a Long Beach high school's plan to build a gender-neutral locker room. I assumed this would be a straightforward story about how school facilities' design is moving in the direction of inclusivity. Instead, I ended up writing about the project being paused after a small group of community members spoke out against it, and what that has to do with an unprecedented wave of legislation that seeks to restrict the rights of transgender youth.

High school students in Long Beach began advocating for multi-stall, all-gender restrooms in 2018. These teens took on the emotionally exhausting task of recounting their experiences of being bullied in bathrooms to school leaders, educators and parents. Many times, their only option was to use the bathroom in the nurse's office, which was stigmatizing and unintentionally outed students who had not yet shared their gender identities with their classmates. Some kids opted not to go to the bathroom at all, making it hard to concentrate in class - and in some cases leading to urinary tract infections.

The district listened. By January 2020, Long Beach Unified had quietly opened multi-stall bathrooms at three high schools. There was little to no opposition at the time and no press. The district now requires all new school construction to include gender-neutral facilities.

Enter the new aquatics center at Wilson High School, the first facility to be built since this shift. The district conducted focus groups on locker room design with 60 students. Participants, regardless of gender identity, consistently described feeling uncomfortable in the communal showers and changing areas. Many brought up body image and bullying.

Wilson High's locker room design reflects this feedback. Each stall includes a shower, changing area, bench and storage nook. The partitions between each stall would extend nearly to the ceiling and floor, and waist-high lockers would allow for coaches to easily supervise the space.

Community members began speaking out against the project at Board of Education meetings in early December, just after the right-wing website Breitbart published a piece decrying the plan. Fewer than 20 people publicly voiced opposition to the locker rooms (to learn more about their arguments, I encourage you to read the story). That was still enough for the district to pause the plan while it gathered more input.

I spoke with Christopher Covington, an organizer at Genders & Sexualities Alliance Network who has worked closely with Long Beach students around this issue. It's likely that many people who oppose gender-neutral bathrooms and locker rooms don't know a trans person personally, they said.

"They don't understand the challenges young trans people face on school campuses, and how creating a facility like this could potentially support them," Covington told me.

Consider, for example, what it's like to be a transgender boy in high school. Maybe he's yet to transition or come out. One day, he chooses to use the restroom that aligns with his gender identity because using the girls' restroom is emotionally distressing. It's in this kind of situation where many gender-diverse students are harassed, questioned and - in the worst cases - physically harmed, said Carla Peña, manager of professional development at Gender Spectrum, an organization that works to create gender-inclusive environments for kids and teens.

In 2013, California became the first in the U.S. to enshrine into law the right of transgender students to choose bathroom and locker rooms that match their gender identity. Three years later, the state required all single-occupancy public toilets to be gender-neutral by spring 2017. Although advocates say that this was a step in the right direction, many schools complied with the law by letting students use the bathroom in the nurse's office, which inevitably singled them out.

Peña estimates that maybe a quarter of high schools nationwide have some sort of gender-neutral bathroom option - and that's being generous, she said. Most of those are of the nurse's bathroom variety. In 2019, a national survey by the education organization GLSEN found that 45% of LGBTQ+ students avoided using gender-segregated school bathrooms and 44% avoided locker rooms because they felt unsafe or uncomfortable.

Multi-stall, inclusive facilities remove these barriers, Peña said: "If I'm not worried about getting my basic needs met, or whether or not using the bathroom will out me, I have less anxiety and more energy to be present and learn."

According to advocates, inclusive facilities benefit all pupils, regardless of gender identity. "We know that the availability of spaces at schools make students overall feel safer," said Joel Jemino, youth services manager at the Long Beach LGBTQ Center. "It's a clear message from the school that this is a place where they are included, that - no matter what - they have a right to safety."

Such bathrooms and locker rooms also serve students with physical disabilities who have caretakers of a different gender. And they teach young people the importance of respecting people in all of their identities, how to share spaces with others, and privacy and boundaries.

Teens seem to get this. School leaders in Long Beach told me that students overwhelmingly support the locker room plan. "They're like, 'Why wouldn't we be doing this?' " said Tiffany Brown, the district's deputy superintendent. The opposition is almost solely led by adults.

The most commonly voiced concern these days against communal, all-gender bathrooms is that students - particularly girls - will be harassed or assaulted by the opposite sex. This belief has roots in the historical argument that trans people are the ones to be feared in bathrooms, advocates told me. But that's a perspective that wouldn't be well-received in a politically progressive and LGBTQ-friendly city like Long Beach.

At the end of the day, the safety issue is a moot point, said Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, executive director of National Center for Transgender Equality. If students are being harassed in bathrooms, that's a school-climate issue, not a gender issue.

"Harassment is still illegal in a gender-neutral facility," he said. "Protections and norms around acceptable behavior still apply."

An eventful week for California higher education

Cal State officials have launched an independent investigation into how Fresno State University administrators handled sexual harassment complaints against a former campus vice president, according to Times reporters Colleen Shalby and Robert J. Lopez. Chancellor Joseph I. Castro stepped down last month following reports that, as president of Fresno State in 2020, he quietly authorized a $260,000 payout and retirement package for former Vice President of Student Affairs Frank Lamas, who was the subject of complaints of bullying, intimidation and sexual harassment that began in 2014 and continued through 2019.

The California Supreme Court on Thursday decided not to lift an enrollment cap on UC Berkeley, a move that forces one of the nation's most popular campuses to scramble for ways to avoid what it initially feared could be major cuts to its incoming fall class. The court rejected the University of California's appeal to stay a lower court ruling issued in August that froze enrollment at Berkeley until the campus more thoroughly examined the impact of its growth on housing, homelessness and noise.

This happened just weeks before it was set to release admission decisions. A university spokesman told my colleague Teresa Watanabe that the campus would meet the cap by offering at least 1,500 incoming first-year and transfer students online enrollment for fall, or deferred admission next January for the spring semester.

The Los Angeles Community College District's Board of Trustees has backed down from appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court over a lawsuit filed by two blind students who claimed the district failed to properly help them with accommodations to which they are legally entitled. The board voted unanimously not to appeal the 2017 lawsuit and to continue instead with mediation. The case boiled down to a question over whether unintentional discrimination - a lack of accommodation, for example, that inadvertently hinders a person - is a violation of federal law.

Enjoying this newsletter?

What else we're reading this week

Curriculum transparency bills are proliferating across the U.S. The legislation would require schools to post all instructional materials online, with the goal of enabling parents who distrust their children's schools to carefully examine teaching materials - including those on race and racial equity. Washington Post

Frustrated by Oakland Unified School District closures, student leaders are turning their gaze to school board elections. In the Town, 16- and 17-year-olds are now able to vote in these elections that inevitably have so much influence on the quality of their education. Oaklandside

International students from Ukraine living in the U.S. are struggling to balance their studies with painful images from home, including possible war crimes committed by Russian forces against civilians. The 74

Why does it cost a fortune to get the best test for disabilities like ADHD, autism and dyslexia? Such financial barriers prevent many Americans from accessing vital special education services. USA Today

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Why gender-neutral bathrooms benefit all young people

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The new aquatics center at Wilson High School is the first to be built in response to Long Beach Unified students' concerns.

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We want to continue to motivate students to volunteer around the building and seek opportunities to develop leadership skills. We will begin to recruit students for Sub-Committees, overseen by each grade level student council. The following committees will be offered per grade level:

Announcements Crew

Cafeteria Crew

Arrival/Dismissal Crew

Yearbook Committee

Events Committee

Note: 8G Cafeteria Crew is full. We have filled those positions with Mrs. Brandts students.

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The campaigning has come to a close and our students have voted! Congrats to all and we can't wait to see all their hard work.

Here are the results:

6G

P- Aubrielle Palmer

VP- Sharimar Diaz

S- Onnesty Kelley

T- Aaliyah Kirby

H- Issa Hassan

7G

P- Gibrielyz Vargas Melendez

VP- Asia Lacey

S- Jahleel Brown

T- Lavahya Washington

H- Jayla Carter

8G

P- Norielle Palmer

VP- Jaizair Bradford

S- Ashanti Woods

T- Jymaniye Mathis

H- Valana Wheat

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Veteran's Day is a day celebrated in the USA to honor the past veteran's who have served our country. These included deceased or people who are still alive.

Flags can see be seen at half mass.

In 1921, an unknown World War I American soldier was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. This site, on a hillside overlooking the Potomac River and the city of Washington, D.C., became the focal point of reverence for America’s veterans.

To honor these men and women, symbolic of all Americans who gave their lives in all wars, an Army honor guard, the 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard), keeps day and night vigil.

A law passed in 1968 changed the national commemoration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. It soon became apparent, however, that November 11 was a date of historic significance to many Americans. Therefore, in 1978 Congress returned the observance to its traditional date.

National Ceremonies Held at Arlington National Cemetery The focal point for official, national ceremonies for Veterans Day continues to be the memorial amphitheater built around the Tomb of the Unknowns. At 11 a.m. on November 11, a combined color guard representing all military services executes “Present Arms” at the tomb. The nation’s tribute to its war dead is symbolized by the laying of a presidential wreath. The bugler plays “taps.” The rest of the ceremony takes place in the amphitheater.

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"Shine like sparkles, glow like candles, and burn all the negativity like crackles. Wish you all a very lovely and cheerful Diwali."

Diwali, or the Festival of Lights, is a joyous Hindu celebration symbolizing the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil.

During Diwali, families come together to light lamps, exchange gifts, and share festive meals. It is a time of renewal and reflection. Diwali is a reminder to all of us in the Syracuse STEM community to always seek ways to foster unity and positivity within our diverse community.

Ways to honor Diwali in our school community:

Lantern-making workshops: Students can create colorful lanterns, which symbolizes the brightness associated with Diwali.

Candle Lighting Ceremony: Students and staff can come together to light candles or Diyas symbolizing victory of light over darkness.

Festive Treat Sharing: Organize a Diwali treat exchange. Students can bring in traditional snacks to share.

Cultural Storytelling: Share stories that emphasize themes of light, goodness, and perseverance.

Happy Diwali to all! 🪔🛕

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"Day of the Dead is medicine in the sense that if you really honor it, if you make time to honor the person who's passed, it is a way of healing.”

Dia De Muertos or Day of the Dead is on November 1st and 2nd 2023! It is always the day after Halloween.

Dia De Muertos is a celebration of the ones who have passed on and is celebrated by primarily the Mexican culture. The holiday was originally a 20 day celebration but has changed to a two-day celebration. Dia de los Muertos traditions include ofrendas (altars), cemetery visits, skulls or calaveras, marigolds, traditional foods, parades and festivals.

Ways you can celebrate Day of the Dead respectfully

Here's ways to participate respectfully in Día de los Muertos traditions:

Visit the gravesite of a loved one.

Have a picnic at the cemetery where your ancestors are buried. You can bring foods your dead loved ones enjoyed and have a picnic with them.

Make an ofrenda, or altar, at home. You don't have to go anywhere to remember those you love. You can set up photos, candles and food in a corner of your house.

Attend a Day of the Dead festival.

Make your own sugar skulls. Sugar skulls — or calaveras — are easy to make and have three simple ingredients: sugar, meringue powder and water

Buy pan de muerto from a local Mexican bakery.

Buy marigolds or cempasúchil.

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Welcome Mrs. Deb Doyle!

Deb has been working in the district for many years in various buildings. Over the summer she got to work with our now 8th graders at Oasis for Summer School. She is now co-teaching with Mrs. Riccardo in 6th grade Social Studies. Deb can be found in Room 107. At school, Mrs. Doyle is very competitive. She even took a bet from an 8th grade student about who could run down the stairs faster. Naturally she beat him and he still owes her $1.

Outside of school she enjoys rooting on the Buffalo Bills, golfing and paddle boarding. Deb loves being social and having fun. She especially loves spending time with her new grandbaby, Madelyn James.

We are so happy to welcome Mrs. Doyle here!

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Hey y'all!

My name is Leeza Roper and I teach 8th grade English Language Arts. I've been teaching for four years, and I am currently in graduate school for Literacy Education at Syracuse University. I am a proud CODA and love everything about Deaf culture since that is one of the cultures I was raised around.

The Diversity, Equity, and Belonging initiative is a district-initiative aimed to build, support, and sustain communities of belonging across the district. There is one DEB lead for each school, and I am your DEB Lead for Syracuse STEM at Blodgett. I look forward to create a welcoming, diverse, and inclusive environment where each student and staff feels that their whole identity is known, respected, and valued in our learning spaces.

Some more things to know about me are; I love ASL with all my heart. I am starting a ASL club during 8th grade lunch (Tues & Thurs) I also love dancing, volleyball, eating GOOOD foods, and having rich discussions. I am located in room 410A, so stop by anytime!

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Howdy, howdy!

My name is Julio Cesar Carpio. I am the 7th grade ELA Tutorial teacher at Syracuse STEM @ Blodgett Middle School. I have been teaching here for 3 years already! When not in the school setting, I like to unwind by listening to alternative rock music, watching horror movies, and playing video games.

You can find me in room 310 on the 7th grade floor.

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My name is Kayla Gallagher, your school psychologist!

I have been at STEM for 5 years and can't imagine being anywhere else! You can find me roaming the hallways, chilling in rooms 412, 302, or 103, or in my office (room 402). In my free time, I love to do a lot of things- cook, read, go for hikes, play with my animals, or go on an adventure!

My door is open anytime for a good chat and a cup of tea 🙂

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Saludos - my name is Alysha Bates. I am the ENL teacher for eighth grade, as well as the program coordinator for the Pathways to the Seal of Biliteracy Program and the manager of the Language Exchange Café in our building. I LOVE learning languages, perfecting my self-expression, employing technology, staying exceedingly organized, and turning ideas into actions. I am an avid advocate for my students - as such, you will often see me purposefully striding around the building or actively facilitating a meeting with students. What can I say? I am not one to remain idle.

Soy orgullosamente Mexicana-Americana y me encanta platicar sobre la comida y los cantantes que a mi me gustan. Estoy ubicada en el aula 406."

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A large majority of our students here at Syracuse STEM are Spanish speaking. Gender neutral pronouns in Spanish are hard so here is a quick video that may help! Remember the goal is to be inclusive to everyone.

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Non-binary Pronouns in Spanish | ♂️♀️ Both nouns and adjectives - as well as pronouns - are gendered in Spanish 🇪🇸. Here's how you can use non-binary pronouns 👇 | By Openly | Facebook

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♂️♀️ Both nouns and adjectives - as well as pronouns - are gendered in Spanish 🇪🇸. Here's how you can use non-binary pronouns 👇

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Check this game out that helps us practice using they/them pronouns. This helps teachers, students and other staff practice replacing she/her and he/him for staff/students that identify as non-binary.

Thank you to our lovely 8th Grade ENL teacher Ms. Bates for showing us this!

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Pronouns are basically words used to refer to a person other than their name. When a trans person comes out they may have new pronouns they want to use

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Welcome Ms. Tina DeCarlo!

Tina has been working for the SCSD for 32 years in various buildings. She is currently our 8:1:1 Teacher and she can be found in Rm. 103! She brings a wealth of knowledge when working with students with Autism.

In her free time, she enjoys shopping at Target and spending time with her grandchild.

We are so happy she has joined us here at Syracuse STEM!

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Halloween is on October 31st, 2023 and this year it's on a Tuesday! Scary, I know!

Everyone celebrates holidays different, and Halloween is no exception. Some cultures do not even celebrate or believe in Halloween and that is okay!

Here at Syracuse STEM, we will be having a "Trunk and Treat". Scholars will be allowed to dress up (school appropriate, of course) and go to different cars for various treats! If students do not want to participate, that is okay.

Remember we are working on an inclusive environment for everyone. Consider having an open conversation how different cultures and families celebrate.

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Every so often the Equity team will post about a new staff member! Feel free to stop by and check them out!

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As you scroll, you will see multiple people who help make our equity team great!  Please feel free to comment on something cool or new your learned about someone!

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Students have been placing a vast array of campaign posters and signs all over the building.

Students are excited to represent their fellow classmates and learning more about responsibility!

Voting Day is coming soon to a voting place near you! (It's really in the cafeteria, I was being catchy)

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Hi,

My name is Meghan Reilly! I am the 6th Grade Special Education Teacher and teach Math to 8:1. I have been teaching at Syracuse STEM for 5 years. I love to read and read 10 books over the summer. My dogs are my absolute favorite.

You can find me on the 6th grade floor in Room 208.

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“In the end, the American dream is not a sprint, or even a marathon, but a relay. Our families don’t always cross the finish line in the span of one generation. But each generation passes on to the next the fruits of their labor.”
— Julian Castro

Check out our Hispanic Heritage Info-video! Pause and read as needed ;-)

We included some important things to consider and share with our middle school staff during Hispanic Heritage Month to promote diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion.

Remember, the goal is to create an inclusive environment where all students, regardless of their background, feel valued and represented. By celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, you're taking an important step towards achieving this goal.

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“One arrow can be easily broken. But when five arrows are be bound together, they become strong. As the five arrows are strongly bound together with our ways and customs and this shall symbolize that the five nations are united; we are of One Mind.”- PEACEMAKER TO THE MOHAWK, ONEIDA, ONONDAGA, CAYUGA AND SENECA

Check out our Indigenous Peoples' Info-video! Pause and read as needed ;-)

We included some important things to consider and share with our middle school staff surrounding Indigenous Peoples' Day to promote diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion.

By raising awareness about Indigenous Peoples' Day, you're taking an important step towards acknowledging and respecting the diverse cultures and histories of Indigenous communities in your learning spaces. This knowledge can help create a more inclusive and culturally aware school environment!

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