The eighth-grade Spanish classes at Chagrin Falls Middle School celebrated the Latin American tradition of Dia de los Muertos or “Day of the Dead” by creating ofrendas...
CFMS Students Create Ofrendas
The eighth-grade Spanish classes at Chagrin Falls Middle School celebrated the Latin American tradition of Dia de los Muertos or “Day of the Dead” by creating ofrendas. These are offerings in the form of a home altar that includes objects and photos to honor a deceased loved one.
In many Mexican schools, classes compete to create an ofrenda that is beautiful and authentic. After the teachers vote, the winning class receives money toward their graduation party. At CFMS, the winning class received extra credit points for its victory. Each Spanish class created its own ofrenda in the Innovation Center.
There were requirements for the ofrenda, which included creating an offering that was creative, authentic and neat in presentation and had a total of three levels. Each level had its own requirements as well.
Students had to read an article written in Spanish to accurately create authentic levels of the ofrenda. The top level needed arches or a papel picado, a photo of the deceased person the student was honoring, and flowers. The second level was supposed to be the largest and would be divided into four parts: salt, favorite food of the deceased, drinks and favorite objects of the deceased. The final level had to include candles, papel picados and other favorite objects of the deceased person.
Students could also include other elements including incense, bread of the dead, water or a calavera satirical poem about someone. Skulls in the form of puppets, toys, candy or figurines acting out daily life were also encouraged, which are a reminder of the inevitability of death.
Connecting both virtual and in-class students through a shared project, all Virtual Academy students were given virtual tours of the Innovation Center with the ofrendas in progress and encouraged to either send in items to add to their class presentation in the IC or they could create their own ofrenda in their home.
The sixth period class won for its ofrenda honoring Robin Williams. Virtual Academy student Kai DeLeon was the winner for her home entry.
Qualified Substitute Teachers Needed
Chagrin Falls Schools is hiring substitute teachers for the 2020-21 school year. The district is reaching out to interested and qualified parents and community professionals who may wish to share their talents, expertise and professionalism.
“These positions offer great flexibility and an opportunity to be involved with meaningful work all within our world-class teaching environment,” said Christopher Woofter, director of operations and strategic initiatives. “Our substitute teachers report very high work satisfaction in their roles and add an important dimension to our organization. The recently increased daily pay rate for substitute teachers is now at $105 per day. Plus all newly hired substitute teachers will be offered paid training in education technology, Google Classroom, and e-learning video teaching applications.”
The Ohio Department of Education offers multiple pathways to becoming a substitute teacher and for securing a license. Three main pathways are:
Education Degrees – Applicants who have a post-secondary degree in education may apply for an “Education Degree-Unlimited” substitute license.
Subject Area Degrees: Applicants who have a post-secondary degree in a specific subject area, such as mathematics or English, for example, may apply.
All Other Degrees: Applicants who have a post-secondary degree in an area that is not directly related to a subject area, such as interdisciplinary studies, criminal justice, business, engineering, economics, computer science, marketing, for example, may apply for the “general substitute” license.
We have put numerous safety protocols in place in each one of our buildings and classrooms and that has been critical to providing and maintaining in-person teaching and learning since September. They are listed in the Return to School Operational Guide found on the district website: www.chagrinschools.org.
For more information, call Mr. Woofter at 440-247-5500 ext. 4010.
