A great scholar

Luis Leal (1907-2010) was a pioneer in the field of Chicano studies. He was born shortly before the Mexican Revolution. After becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States, he was drafted to fight in World War II. He fought to take the Philippines back from Japan.

Luis Leal made many literary contributions to the world of Chicano and Hispanic literature. Among other places, he taught at the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois. He also taught at the University of California at Santa Barbara, which is my connection to Dr. Leal.

During the three summers I spent at UCSB, I had the honor of meeting "don" Luis Leal. In August of 2007 we celebrated Dr. Leal's 100th birthday (which he celebrated in September of that year). This past summer, "don" Luis Leal was preparing to celebrate his 102nd birthday. He came to lunch with my classmates, professors and I. He entertained us with stories from his childhood and his career.

On January 25th of this year, Luis Leal passed away at the age of 102. He was a scholar who made many contributions to Chicano studies and literature. He will be remembered fondly and missed by those who knew him and have read his works.

Answers to trivia

Did you know any of the answers to last week's trivia questions?

• What vegetable is carved and judged at a festival in Oaxaca, México? Radishes
• What sea borders Spain? The Mediterranean
• What famous South American soccer player is known as "The King"? Pelé

Trivia

Here are some of the trivia questions that the Spanish classes tried to answer today. Do you know any of the answers?

• What vegetable is carved and judged at a festival in Oaxaca, México?
• What sea borders Spain
• What famous South American soccer player is known as "The King"?

Check back next week for the answers. Have a great weekend!

A time of need

Last week tragedy struck a country not far from here. The devastating earthquake in Haiti has left a country that was already in shambles, in ruins. The earthquake destroyed buildings, many of them in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince. It also killed many people, there has not been a final death toll yet. As countries scramble to give aid to Haiti, there are difficulties caused by the earthquake that are creating problems for getting the aid to Haiti.
In times like this, it is easy to say "I wish I could help, but there's nothing I can do." The Red Cross makes it easy for us to help. Donations can be made to the Red Cross. There are different funds that the Red Cross has available for donations. They are: International Response Fund, Haiti Relief and Development, Disaster Relief Fund, Where the Need is Greatest, Service to the Armed Forces and Your Local Red Cross Chapter.
Another option that the Red Cross offers is to text "Haiti" to the number 90999 and a $10 donation will be given to the Red Cross and the charge will appear on your cell phone bill. It's easy-I did it just a few days ago. You get a text back asking you to reply "YES" to confirm your donation and then it's done!
Please consider doing something to help. You can find more information about these funds and the Red Cross by visiting their website http://www.redcross.org/

Quizzes

7th grade: You have a quiz next miércoles on your flash card vocabulary and -ar verbs. You need to know the definitions of the infinitives and be able to conjugate the verbs.

8th grade: You have a quiz on jueves on the o to ue stem-changing verbs. Make sure you know the definitions of the infinitives and can conjugate the verbs to use in sentences.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

There will be no school on Monday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It's nice to have days off, but it is important to recognize the reasons for these days. Dr. King worked to make this country a better place. The 7th graders are watching a video in Homebase about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I think it will be a great opportunity for them to learn about Dr. King's work and his life.
Although he gave many speeches and sermons, his best-known speech is known as his "I Have a Dream" speech. It was delivered in Washington D.C. in August of 1963. You can follow this link to watch some or all of this powerful speech. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk

Have a good weekend. Take some time to learn more about Dr. King's contributions to our country.

El calendario azteca

Today the 8th graders spent some time looking up their birthdays in the aztec calendar. The aztec calendar is set up differently from our calendar, but we were able to find close equivalents. These are the symbols for my birthday:

This is the year Acatl

This is the 13 day period known as Tochtli. (This would be our equivalent of a month) This is the day, Xochitl

Find out what your birthday is on the aztec calendar. Go to www.azteccalendar.com