Happy Hanukkah!

As we kicked off the introduction to our new unit on Judaism, it seemed fitting to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah that was taking place last week through Sunday. Hanukkah, חֲנֻכָּה, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish Holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew Calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December. It is sometimes called the miracle of Hanukkah because the menorah was to be lit for eight days but there appeared to be only enough oil for one night, however, the menorah stayed lit for the entire eight nights. 

We observed this holiday by lighting five candles (because Friday marked the 5th night) on the menorah. Our class ate potato latkes, cheese and blueberry blintzes, and tried gelt. All the while listening to traditional Hebrew song. Enjoy the photos from below. 

East Asian Celebration!

As our unit on East Asian religions came to a close, we had the opportunity to engage in a variety of Asian activities. The hosting group brought in Chinese calendars, and Korean language translations (which helped us uncover some of those mysterious words in the hit song "Gangnam style").  Then they led us in making Chinese lanterns and acquainted us with Chinese New Years traditions. Afterward, the class had the opportunity to take on the challenge of making an origami crane. All the while, the students got to munch on fortune cookies, Japanese candy, and sip on green tea. The celebration was not complete without Korean tunes...Bravo to Maria, Karen, Radek, Nick, and Roberto!

World Religion Rituals

Considering we analyze variety of religion's rituals, we've create dour own class ritual. Upon completing a a study of a particular religion, a group of students simulates a religious ceremony. To date, we have engaged in a Voodoo ritual (after completing our unit on traditional African religions), a Hindu wedding ceremony, and a Buddhism meditation. All of the ceremonies included food, music, props, and an intractive simulation. Check out the photos!

 

"Mr. Global Studies"

Allow me to introduce Adrian Medina, "Mr Global Studies." This responsible tenth grader is the quintessential Global Studies student. He is a well-rounded young man who is not only a basketball and volleyball player, but also shines academically. Adrian is outspoken and firm in his political ideologies, he is a prominent voice during class discussions and debates. Furthermore, he is a diligent student and a natural leader. In fact, Adrian was one of the founders of his classes' country name "Mellowmania". He was also elected as his classes' president. All in all, he is an insightful resource about the Global Studies program. He has readily represented the program at Varela's Magnet Fair and Cirriculum Expo. Kudos to Adrian!  

World Religions: Guest Speaker!

As my World Religions class wrapped up our unit on Hinduism, we were visited by a speaker who lived in an Ashram in Varanasi, India for two months. This visitor was none other than my sister, Kelsey Rodriguez. Kelsey is an international traveler- she's been to Kenya, Brazil, Ecuador, Cuba, and India, to name a few...She attended Wellesley College in Massachusetts and studied Psychology. While in college, she lived in a multi-faith dorm setting where she had the opportunity to reside with a variety of people who practiced all sorts of religions.

Kelsey shared with us her stories of travels along the Ganges River, her experience with wandering cows and electricity-free living. She described her vegetarian diet, bumpy rig-shaw rides and encounters with the locals. Furthermore, she showed us pictures of a traditional wedding that she attended and described the meditative practices that she engaged in. If any students have enduring comments or questions please comment below. I hope you enjoyed hearing a first-hand account of her time in India!

Homecoming Week Recap

Varela's got spirit, yes we do, we've got spirit, how about you?! This past week has provided an endless array of opportunities to showcase our Viper pride. Club Chaos, Viper Vamp, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Banner Decorating, the Homecoming game and dance, were just a few of the events going on in Viper country. I had the privilege of sitting on two judging panels this week where I was thoroughly entertained. I was serenaded by members of the clubs as they performed the Alma Matter to the tunes of their choosing. Viper Vamp made me laugh, clap, and cringe as I watched the anti-Sunset-themed skits performed by various clubs. I saw many of my students dance, sing, act, and cross-dress in efforts to entertain the crowd (and bash our rival), and that, they did. I was very impressed to see a generous turnout at the Homecoming game, where we were victorious! Furthermore, I got to see many of my students all glammed up the Hyatt Regency Downtown, as they danced the night away with their friends. All in all, it was a successful week, chalk-full of spirit, fun, and countless activities. I'd like to give a special shout-out to the Global Studies students who took part in Viper Vamp, Club Chaos, and played against Sunset.

Shout-outs: Bravo to all cast members!
Ronald Torres, Ryan Bauta, Samantha Amandor, Celeste Montenegro, Kaitlyn Reyes, Maria Diaz, Sebastian Quintero, Samuel Grossman, Didier Arias, Steven Santos, Christine Seda, Juanasofia Chirino

Football players: Ronald Ferrer, Eric Blanco, Pedro Sainz, and Roberto Matos

What was your favorite activity? How did you show your spirit this past week?

Florida Boycotts Columbus Day: Hero or Villain?

It's not surprising that a state with the legacy of Spanish colonization would be critical of the controversial, Christopher Columbus. Why is he controversial you ask? First off, he never reached the current-day U.S. territory. Secondly, he did not "discover" a single thing, he explored and put claims on inhabited lands. He was convinced that he'd reached Asia, and took this inaccurate belief to the grave. He treated the inhabitants brutally, so much so, that the Spanish monarchs responible for the Crusades (Ferdinand and Isabella) even disapproved. Here's the real kicker, Columbus Day was only deemed a national holiday in 1937 when President Roosevelt wanted to win over the Italian vote and therefore picked an Italian to glorify. Many states have decided to forgo this celebration, and some have even declared it Native American Day to remember those who perished because of Columbus. Do you support Florida's boycott of this holiday? Watch the following clip for the full story. http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/id=7424664n&tag=showDoorFlexGridRight;SunMoImageStack

Global Studies T-Shirt Challenge

Attention! Attention! Global Studies Magnet students, put your design expertise to the test and create a logo for a magnet T-shirt. Bring back the FUBU notion of "For Us By Us," you will be the one's sporting the shirt so make sure you have a say in the design. Our intention is to have "Magnet T-Shirt Friday's" where all the magnet's will wear their shirts. All submissions must be in by next week and be in a JPEG format. You will receive 3 personal participation points for your submission, and add a point to your classes mula count. If your class has the winning submission, you will earn a bonus 5 points. Cannot wait to see the creativity of the program! 

IR Country Competition

Fellow citizens of the International Relations territory,

The time has come to reveal the three new "countries" at Varela. After an arduous drafting, planning, presenting, and voting process, three plans for statehood have been adopted. All founders of the winning groups will receive participation points in class. Though the race was close in some classes, I am ready to present the winners. Drum-roll please...INTRODUCING...

Period 2-Varelix

Period 4-Krypton









Period 6-Mellowmania







Best of luck to the Varelixians, Kryptonites, and Mellowmainians-may the best country win! Mula collection begins this week!

A.P. Web Quest

As promised, the following optional assignment provides a deeper view into the life of Olaudah Equiano. The link below is a Webquest-an online learning experience that gives you tasks to complete regarding a particular topic. Be sure to look at the scoring guides and utilize the links provided in order to accurately complete the tasks at hand. Those who choose to complete this assignment will be allowed to replace a low HW grade or add a maximum of 5 points to the Chapter 2 Test. However, the assignment must be completed properly in order to ensure maximum extra credit potential. Enjoy your quest to find out more about this man who endured slavery, bought his freedom, learning to read and write, and captured his journey in his autobiography.

http://imet.csus.edu/imet1/desler/passages/odyssey/odyssey.htm

Battle of the Bands!

One of our very own Global Studies students, Ryan Bauta, will be performing tomorrow night at the Battle of the Bands event hosted at Varela. His band is called Albany and has been together since January of 2011. It's currently made up of one drummer-Gamal Attey (10th grade), a bassist-Carlos Gurdian, (9th grade), guitarist-Alec Di Lella (10th grade), and Ryan (10th grade) as the lead singer and second guitarist.

 After only three practices, Albany qualified to be one of seven bands to rock out on Thursday, at 6:30 PM in the auditorium, for the bargain price of $7! While the setlist remains a secret, Ryan "assures it will be a great show!" Show your Varela spirit and support for your classmate and musical talent. If you attend this event please comment about your experience.

AP US Book Access

A.P. U.S. Book Access

Historians, please help yourself to this link www.glencoe.com/brinkleyAP14; explore the sample quiz questions, primary sources and chapter notes. I will keep you posted as to when this book becomes fully electronic. Happy reading!

Discover Miami's Culture and Arts

We're all very fortunate to reside in such a vibrant and eclectic city. This weekend Miami is hosting an arts event in Downtown, which offers a plethora of interesting opportunities to get to know your city, view international films, and experience the art scene. Tonight and tomorrow there are many free events being offered;  including free tours of Downtown and the Freedom Tower, picnic opportunities, food trucks, and open galleries. Check it out! 

 http://events.miami.cbslocal.com/miami_fl/events/discover-arts-and-culture-d-/E0-001-049997554-7@2012090700

If you get the chance to attend, comment about your experience! 

Vote! Vote! Vote!

It's not everyday that a teenager gets to exercise their right to vote so take advantage! Your voting will result in a free Taylor Swift concert for Varela! Just go to http://taylorswiftoncampus.com/, we're currently only 23 votes away! Even if your not a fan, remember that it will support the arts program at our school with a potential $10,000 donation,

  

IR Book

I regret to inform you that there is only one class set of books available, which means that your access to the book is limited to class-time opportunities. However, if you would like to access review questions in efforts to prepare for the Ch. 1 test on Tuesday, the link is http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073378992/information_center_view0/ or type in www.mhhe.com/boyer8e. Good luck next week on your first exam!
 

New Book-Jamestown Game

Just a reminder to A.P. U.S. students, your first test on Ch. 1 is on Monday, Sept. 10. If you still have the old book in your possession, please bring it back. If you would like to access your new book, feel free to check out this website www.glencoe.com/brinkleyAP14, and peruse the student center.

In other news, concerning chapter two, remember to read and complete the "starving time" primary source account as well as the first column of the chart based on the southern colonies. For further exploration (get it?) on the topic of Jamestown, I invite you to play this entertaining game http://www.historyglobe.com/jamestown/. On the page press "Start the Adventure," keep in mind that your performance will be judged on the following:
Scoring Factors:

After you make all your decisions, you will receive a report on the state of your colony based on these factors:

• Food: How well can you provide it for your colonists?
• Health: Can you keep your colonists from dying due to disease, starvation, and attacks?
• Wealth: Can you make yourself and your sponsors at the London Company rich from the discovery of gold and silver?
• Morale: Can you keep yourself in power by keeping everyone happy?

Good luck on your adventure and your first test next week!

IR-Country Challenge

Upon discussing a variety of political theories, let us now apply the "realist" perspective to our experience in Ms. Rodriguez's IR class. Considering I teach three sections of IR, it's only natural (according to Darwinian theory), that one class will emerge as the most successful. After our debate yesterday, many of you thought that a nation should take care of it's interest first, and believed in the concept of realpolitik-power politics. Therefore, I will challenge you to apply this same reasoning to your experience as an international relations student.

Each class will transform itself into a country of its own design. As a class, you will select a name, slogan, and create a flag. I wish you luck at applying the liberal concept of cooperation to this part of the process. Once all three classes have agreed on their country's identity, the challenge will begin!

Your class will strive to earn "mula" our classes' form of international currency. As the class amasses "mula" they can purchase items to build up their country-for example, military forces, electricity, non-renewable resources, internet, etc. with the goal of being an advanced nation. At the end of the year, the country who is most "advanced" (earned the most amount of mula, and spent it wisely) will be rewarded accordingly.

So, how can you earn mula for your country? Participate, watch current events and bring your informed mind to class, attendance, succeeding on quizzes and tests, country challenges, etc.

May the odds be ever in your favor and may the best country win!

Welcome!

You only get one chance at making a good first impression; thankfully, that chance comes once a year for students and teachers. I wish all of my students-to-be a fabulous first day back to school and hope that they excel at making a strong first impression on their peers and teachers alike. Tomorrow will mark my first day as a teacher at Felix Varela Senior High, and it will also be my first day as a graduate student at FIU.

This blog is intended to be a communication portal between students, parents, and myself. I will attempt to keep it updated regularly with pertinent links to the classes I teach and upload assignments. Furthermore, I will use this as a medium to post photos displaying class activities and of student work.

I'd like to briefly introduce myself and welcome you to my classroom. I am a Miami native and a proud product of the public school system. My schooling has lead to a feline allegiance (Killian Cougar and FIU Panther), which I will now be exchanging for Viper-status. I am degreed in Social Studies Education and Latin American Studies and am certified to teach grades 6-12. I spent the last few years of my life living in Manhattan teaching at a phenomenal middle school for low-income girls (http://www.connellycenter.org). I taught a variety of subjects including grades 5th-8th Social Studies, P.E., Spanish, and 7th grade Science. I also briefly taught World Religions and American History at Coral Park Senior High. I am excited to be a member of the Varela staff and to be your teacher!

Welcome to room 63!