We are so excited for you to have joined our convocation!

(Hey did you know that a group of eagles is called a convocation?)

This week Mr. Gilbert recommends " 'The Bald Eagle' Review." An excerpt of the article is below. Click the picture of the bald eagle to read the full article. Go Eagles!

It’s commonly believed that Benjamin Franklin would have preferred the wild turkey as America’s national bird. In a letter addressed to his daughter, he branded the bald eagle a “rank coward” and a bird of “bad moral character” because it feeds on the meat of dead animals and steals food from other birds—particularly the honest osprey. He admitted that the turkey was a “vain and silly” creature but still deemed it a “much more respectable” candidate. Franklin was, of course, anthropomorphizing the wild birds by the moral standards of his time, a misguided practice that continues to this day

Ava - is always engaged in learning and playful with her teachers and classmates.

Beatrix- has been a great helper in the classroom, especially with all the extra holiday projects.

Will B.- is always kind and positive to his peers. He's been a great role model all year.

Caroline M. - is a leader in the classroom and always sets a good example. She is commended for always including others and speaking up for them when they need help.

Lana B. - is friendly, compassionate, and gives good advice to her friends.

Samuel- always puts forth his best effort in class and did a great job advancing in the Spelling Bee last month.

Katie G. and Kieran R. were fantastic group members while building straw towers last week for our STEM challenge. They both designed and listened to their classmates and worked great as a team.

Henry M. Always a person for others. He takes time to help others and is a leader amongst his peers.

Lourdes O. Always trying her best at everything that she does! She is kind and helps her fellow peers.

Ella D. and Dwyer L. Both of these 8th graders try their best in all that they do. Ella's smile is the best and she is friendly to everyone! Dwyer helps any and every student in his classes.

After seeing Mr. Feeney's post, I decided to read more about Oscar Romero's life. As I was scrolling, I came across a post on the Ignatian Solidarity Network titled "11 Quotes to Celebrate the Life and Voice of Oscar Romero." When I clicked the link, I was immediately struck by the first quote on the page: "Each one of you has to be God’s microphone. Each one of you has to be a messenger, a prophet."

As members of House Romero, we are called to be a voice for the voiceless. We are called to be people for others. And according to Romero, it's not enough to not be evil. It is not enough to simply be good.

We need to spread the message of God's love. We need to practice a form of Christianity that is positive. One that involves sacrfice. One that makes us God's microphone, even if speaking the truth makes us unpopular or gets us in trouble.

This week, as you move through the school, keep an eye out for microphones. When you see one, remember that you are called to be a messenger. You are called to be a voice for the voiceless.

-Mr Rosenberger

Welcome to all those who were sorted into House Romero today. We are so excited for you to join our house.

Eagles Fly High!

By Mrs. Micallef

In the 1930s, almost 100 years ago, Germany was struggling to rebuild after losing World War 1. Many Germans were poor and out of work.In 1933, the Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler, took over Germany. The Nazis told the German people a big lie -that the Jewish people caused all their problems-and the Germans believed the lie. The Nazis wanted to get rid of all the Jews and convinced the Germans that Jews were bad people.

The Nazis started by urging Jews who could afford it to leave and go to other countries. The Nazis then enacted laws that discriminated against Jews. They took away their jobs, homes, temples and workplaces. In November of 1938, the Germans smashed the glass storefronts of Jewish businesses so that many businesses were forced to close. This night is called “Krystallnacht” meaning ‘night of broken glass.”

Many Germans went along with the Nazis because they were afraid. Few Germans actually helped the Jews by either hiding them in their homes or standing up to the Nazis. The Nazis rounded up Jewish families and sent them to death camps where they were forced to work with very little to eat and under terrible conditions. The Jews were made to sleep in tiny, wooden cramped beds in the middle of winter with no heat and not enough clothing to keep them warm. Eventually, the Nazis murdered the Jews in large numbers and many others died of starvation or disease. By the end of the war, the Nazis had killed 6 million Jewish children, women and men throughout Europe, but mostly Eastern Europe, including Poland and Russia.

Between 1939 and 1944, the Allied countries watched as the Nazis took over Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Eastern European countries. Some Allied countries like Denmark protected their Jews. The United Kingdom entered the war against the Nazis. Many Americans, however, did not want to enter the war and risk American lives. Some countries even allowed the Nazis to round up the Jews in their countries.

Finally, in June of 1944, the Allies - the United States, France, England and the Soviet Union-finally defeated the Nazis. When the Allies came to Germany, they found the death camps with dead bodies and starving prisoners. Holocaust Remembrance Day was enacted in 1951 to remember these victims. Its goal is to teach people about what happened to prevent it happening again. As Guido Calabresi, dean of Yale Law School said “It’s important to learn about the Holocaust in the hope that it will make you more careful, more full of care of others in need, and more understanding of those who do wrong because they can be, they are, you and me.”

By Mrs. Micallef

On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, almost 2000 people gathered by the Capitol here in Washington, DC and violently forced their way into the US Capitol. They didn’t all know each other, but they were united in feeling they were fighting for “justice”. They were egged and cheered on by President Trump himself. Like Trump, they felt that, despite the fact that all the evidence proved the opposite, the recent Presidential election hadn’t been conducted in a fair or legal way and, thus, the President hadn’t really lost and deserved a second chance.

As the HTS House of justice, we in the Romero House want to speak out against these domestic terrorists and their senseless violence. As Saint Oscar Romero taught throughout his life, justice means that everyone is treated fairly and given similar opportunities. Justice is not violently taking matters in your own hands just because you don’t agree with the law or the political outcome.

As the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr approaches, we are reminded of how Dr. King used non-violence to demonstrate his disagreement with truly unjust laws that treated people of color differently unfairly. Protesting through non-violent means, as Dr. King showed us, is how Americans of character, wisdom and respect for our country show discontent. Those who choose to take matters in their own hands by spreading false accusations about illegal voting and violently storming government buildings have destroyed the reputation of our country throughout the world and should face the same rule of law faced by all terrorists and enemies of the state. Many of them wore clothing and tattoos or signs and flags of racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic groups. These groups do not represent justice and they should be dealt with accordingly.

Check out our TYT from 11/19! House Romero is all about justice.

On Tuesday, Holy Trinity had a tag day to collect donations for the Equal Justice Initiative. The video on the left goes into detail about what the EJI is and why it was started. Please watch the video with a parent or guardian.

From the EJI website:

"The Equal Justice Initiative is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society."

Here is a link if you would like to donate to the cause of equal justice for all:

https://support.eji.org/give/153413/#!/donation/checkout