Current HDT News

December
Henry David Thoreau Resident Author News
 
Students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades are continuing to utilize Henry David Thoreau Bell Ringer for Justice to learn about the Catholic Social Justice Principles and the many ways that Thoreau reflected them through words and actions in his life.  The book serves as a springboard for many writing activities, which enables them to think critically,
Junior High Language Arts teacher, Mrs. Donna Przybojewski will give a lecture in Concord, MA in January at the Thoreau Society Gathering.  She will elaborate on the work that St. Benedict Catholic School is doing to teach social justice to the students through Thoreau and this book.  Mrs. Przybojewski will elaborate on the many projects the students created as well as read samples of their writing activities.  This will be the fourth talk that Mrs. Przybojewski will give in Massachusetts about St. Benedict School and its students.  The many college professors from Darmouth, Harvard, Princeton, and others, who have attended her lectures in the past three years, have been very impressed with the education that St. Benedict provides its students.
Grade eighth students have been learning about Thoreau’s advocacy for living a simple life and living each day to the fullest.  Life is short, and one must make good use of it, not wasting a moment.  Students, after reading and discussing “Economy” from Walden, created a time schedule for a weekend.  They recorded what they did every hour of the weekend.  Then, they had to write a composition evaluating how well they spent their time.  Was it an economical use of it?  Did they waste the weekend?  What could they have done to make maximum use of time?  How does using time well improve one’s life?
Grade seven students each received an environmentalist like John Muir, Henry David Thoreau, Leopold Aldo, Wangari Maathai, David Suzuki among others to read about from the book Champions of the Environment by Bruce and Carol L. Malnor.  They answered questions about their lives and contributions to the world in regards to the environment.  Then students divided into groups and created a power point on their environmentalist.  Students shared their power points to the class.  This activity is in preparation for their research paper, which will be about an environmental problem.  Since Thoreau was an advocate for nature as well as one of the early environmentalists, this project corresponds to the Social Justice Principle of Taking Care of God’s Creation.



Henry David Thoreau Resident Author
October
 
Students in grades 6, 7, and 8 have been really trying to perfect their observation and descriptive writing skills as they observe nature at least three times a week.  They then record their observations using the five senses.  Modeling Henry, they doodle a sketch of something they observed.
Here are a few samplings of their awesome writing:
 
"I hear the rustle the leaves of the small bush that sways its leaves back and forth. I stand and let the wind surround me touching my skin. A calmness comes over me and I feel peace."
 
"Most trees still have their leaves, but some of them are beginning to change their hue. They are now a golden yellow and resemble sunflowers in an open field."
 
"The woods near my house is bright today, not shadowed because the sun is so bright and it's beams penetrate though the trees. As I look, it seems mystical to me."
 
"The clouds are so close together, they begin to look like mashed potatoes that have been spread on my plate."
 
The raindrops hit my face making it wet. It seems as if my face is covered with tears that roll down it and fall upon my chest."
 
"I heard a bird that looked like a chicadee on a branch. It made a sound like, ' see-dur-dur-dur-du."
 
Henry David Thoreau Book Walk
Junior High teacher Mrs. Donna Przybnojewski joined Cleveland Metroparks naturalist Jake Kudrna join us for a family-friendly fall hike don the newly completed Towpath Trail (Centennial Lake Link Trail). She read her book " Henry David Thoreau Loved the Seasons of the Year linking Thoreau’s writings about the change in season at Walden Pond with the natural experience along the newly reclaimed Cuyahoga riverbank.  This was in connection with Visible Books, where a book signing followed the event.


 

July


During July of 2019, junior high teacher, Mrs. Donna Przybojewski, attended the Thoreau Society gathering in Concord, MA.  She gave a presentation explaining the continuing study of Henry David Thoreau in junior high language arts classes.  The title of the presentation was Engineering through Junior High Language Arts with Henry David Thoreau.  Everyone was amazed that St. Benedict School displayed such high academic standards by encouraging students to write, critically think, and celebrate their own unique qualities.  St. Benedict Catholic School and Mrs. Przybojewski received a standing ovation for the work done in promoting the legacy of Thoreau through language arts.
Also, Mrs. Przybojewski had an art display of her oil paintings based on selected journal entries of Thoreau at the Thoreau Farm in the very room where the author was born.
 
Another highlight for Mrs. Przybojewski occurred at Walden Pond State Reservation where her new book book  Henry David Thoreau Bell Ringer for Justice was used as a story walk throughout the summer.   This book is based on Thoreau's work for social justice during his lifetime and will also be used across grade levels at St. Benedict Catholic School for social justice lessons.