Halloween

The traditions of Halloween started further back than you may think.  The origin of the celebration can be traced back to the Celtics in Ireland more than 2000 year ago.  Since then the traditions have grown and changed with influences from the Roman, the Catholics, and America.

The first Halloween celebrations are more than 2000 years old.  The ancient Celtics would celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of winter on the first of November.  They believed the day before, October 31, called Samhain, the boundaries between the living and the dead were blurred.  On this day, the ghosts of the dead visit Earth.  In addition to potentially damaging crops and causing mayhem, the ghosts were believed to predict the future.  The Celtics would dress in costume, usually animal skins in order to welcome the ghosts.

In 43 AD., the Romans conquered most of the Celtic land.  After many years of merging cultures, two Roman celebrations were combined with Samhain.  The first is Feralia, the day the Romans honor their dead and the second is a day honoring Pomona, the goddess of fruits and trees.  Pomona’s is symbolized by the apple, which is possibly where the tradition of bobbing for apples may have originated.

Between the years of 609 and 1000 AD., the celebration was further modified by the papal decrees commemorating All Souls Day on November 2^nd and All Saints Day on November 1^st.  All Saints Day was also known as All-hallows, therefore making the day prior All-hallows eve or Halloween.

The traditions continued to evolve as people moved to America.  First the holiday was heavily resisted by most colonists given the strict Protestant views of the colonies. But as time moves on, the holiday gained traction.  There are reasons behind all of the traditions of Halloween, from the idea of saying “Trick or Treat”, to handing out candy, to avoiding walking under ladders or not allowing a black cat to cross your path.  From its early beginnings of a Celtic celebration, it has morphed into the second largest commercial holiday in the United States.

What is your favorite Halloween tradition?  If you are dressing up this year, what are you going as?  Why?  What is your favorite Halloween candy?

CyberBullying

Last week, two Florida girls, ages 12 & 14, were arrested on felony charges of taunting and bullying after a 12 year old Florida girls committed suicide.  This is a sad realty in our world today.  Bullying is no longer happening face to face.  It is happening everywhere we have access to the internet and at all hours of the day.  For a victim it is difficult to escape or find refuge when the attacks are happening even when you should be in the safety of your own home.

Rebecca Sedwick committed suicide by jumping from an abandoned cement factory tower in Lakeland, FL on September 9^th.  She had been a victim of bullying by at least 15 other girls utilizing on-line social networking sites such as Ask.fm, Instagram, Kik, and Voxer. 

More often than not, bullying has been extended to the digital world.  For parents and schools, this is a difficult evolution.  It is difficult for parents to keep up with the latest trends in social networking. It seems many of us just figured out Facebook only to have to new application such as Instagram or Ask.fm become the application of choice. 

We are living in a digital age and the responsibilities of parents, schools, and children have changed.  We have to educate our children about the proper etiquette for using social networking.  As parents we have to be open and honest with our children and have to be willing to learn about new technology and be willing to check on our kids.  It is fine line between protecting our children and respecting their privacy. 

In addition to parents having more responsibilities, so do you students.  Here are some tips on how to prevent and stop cyberbullying:

·         Make sure if you are members of social networking sites, protect yourself by using the security features (for example, make your profile private if you are on Instagram)

·         Never accept a “friendship” request unless you know the person

·         Refuse to pass on cyberbullying messages

·         Tell friends or others to stop

·         Block communication with cyberbullies, delete messages without reading them

·         Never post or share personal information online including full name, parents’ names, address

·         Never share internet passwords with anyone

·         Never put anything online you wouldn’t want your classmates to see

·         Do not send messages when you are angry or upset

·         Always be as polite online as if you were in person

If you are a victim of cyberbullying or become aware of cyberbullying, you need to ask for help.  Find a teacher or trusted adult and ask for assistance. 

How many different social networking sites do you belong to?  Have you ever witnessed acts of cyberbullying?  Besides the suggestions I provided, what are steps you believe would be helpful to stopping this behavior?

Character Matters

Last week a seemingly small story gained national notoriety when a high school football coach suspended his entire team for failing to behave in a way that reflected the values of the school and the team.  In a world where it seems that character is often not as important as your ability to throw, catch or run, the coach’s actions were atypical.  But to many it was a courageous and necessary step to helping these young men become outstanding contributors to the community and model citizens for others to emulate. 

Coach Matt Labrum of Union High School in Roosevelt, Utah made the decision to suspend his entire team after a week where players were being disciplined for skipping classes, disrespecting teachers, and cyberbullying fellow classmates.  This was enough for him.  After a loss to Judge Memorial High School, the coach declared that this is no longer a team.  The players and their actions were not in line with his expectations for students given the privilege to play and represent their high school.  All 80 players were asked to turn in their jerseys and given the option to earn them back if they wanted to be a part of the team. 

Beginning the next morning at 7:00 am, players were given the ability to earn a spot on the team by participating in a, now required, community service work project.  In place of practice, players were to attend character development classes.  They have been encouraged to monitor one another and hold each other accountable for their actions.

This was a risky decision by the coach.  It very easily could have sparked a revolt by the players, their families, and the community.  To the coach the risk was worth the reward.  The chance the coach took paid off and the players accepted the challenge.  Many have recognized their actions and the actions of their teammates were in desperate need of adjustment.

What do you think about the coach’s decision?  Should students participating in extracurricular activities be held to a higher standard?  How do you hold others accountable for their actions in and out of school?