Today was a good day to settle back into class and to update Kaitlin on current events. Today's presentation for students focused on looking to the future, especially what travel will look like by 2050. We learned about the hyperloop network, a series of high-speed pods that travel in tubes. We also discussed how that infrastructure might be possible by 2050 and if the world is ready for that change.

Absent

Very interesting fact about Black History Month: the creators of 'Sesame Street' designed the show to celebrate Black communities. Today we looked at the inception of "Sesame Street" and its role in providing positive representation to young viewers of many races and backgrounds. More than 53 years after its debut, the amazing children's television program continues to be a leader when it comes to helping kids feel seen by showing characters and families that look like them, and educating others on experiences that may differ from their own. "Sesame Street," which debuted in 1969, was born out of the intersection of the civil rights movement, President Lyndon B. Johnson's war on poverty and subsequent Head Start program, which was meant to provide early childhood education and other necessities to low-income families.

Today is actually Mardi Gras in New Orleans and we looked at its history and traditions. Mardi Gras refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday", reflecting the practice of the last night of eating rich, fatty foods before the ritual Lenten sacrifices and fasting of the Lenten season. Related popular practices are associated with Shrovetide celebrations before the fasting and religious obligations associated with the penitential season of Lent. In countries such as the United Kingdom, Mardi Gras is more usually known as Pancake Day or (traditionally) Shrove Tuesday (derived from the word shrive, meaning "to administer the sacrament of confession to; to absolve"). The first Mardi Gras in what is now the Gulf state region of the U.S. dates back to 1703 - 15 years before New Orleans was founded as a city in 1718.

Today, we reviewed more unusual facts about American life and history. For instance,
Americans eat about 100 acres of pizza each day! That's a lot of carbs! Atlantic City, NJ has the world's longest boardwalk. Built in 1870, it is 4.5 miles long. America's original capitol was Philadelphia. After the Revolution, it was the nation's capitol from 1790-1800. Founded in 1636, Harvard was the first university founded in the U.S. An unbelievably ironic fact: Abraham Lincoln created the Secret Service the day of his assassination on April 14, 1865. We learned much more, but these are just some of the interesting things we focused on today. Kaitlin enjoys learning things that are valid, but not commonly known. Good class!

Today we looked at some interesting unknown facts about American history: 1. George Washington wasn’t the first president to live the White House - the first was President John Adams. 2. Statistically speaking, no job in the United States of America is more deadly than that of the president. Think about it: 45 men have held the title. Four of those men were assassinated in office (Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, James A. Garfield, and William McKinley), while four died of natural causes (William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Warren Harding, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt). That's a rate of almost 18 percent, or nearly 1 out of 5 who died on the job. We also took a look at Nikki Haley who officially announced her candidacy for the 2024 presidential race as a republican candidate.

Following the activity from yesterday, Kaitlin began to write her presentation on Jimi Hendrix.

In addition to her interest in Jimi Hendrix, Kaitlin is also interested in guitarist Slash from the rock band Guns 'N Roses. We spent time in class looking into his personal history today. Of his mixed background, Slash has remarked, "As a musician, I've always been amused that I'm both British and Black; particularly because so many American musicians seem to aspire to be British while so many British musicians, in the 'Sixties' in particular, went to such great pains to be Black.

We spent today's lesson discussing the mode of presentation Kaitlin will use to teach others about Jimi Hendrix. She was fine with the prospect of creating a white board and making a video last week, but today Kaitlin said she wanted to only create a video presentation. I shared that this is vital to share the performance and sound of greatness, but that Kaitlin still needed to present some of the research in an informative and creative format on her white board. This a vital component of her museum piece , due on 2/14.

Today Kaitlin continued to research the life of Jimi Hendrix. She determined what may have been a turning point in his life. What happened after The Jimi Hendrix Experience was formed in 1966? What happened once Jimi Hendrix and his band returned to the U.S.? Where were some of his most famous concerts? Also, can Kaitlin find any interviews with Jimi Hendrix in addition to clips of her favorite songs and performances for her presentation?