Lyposuctioned Kangaroos

It's been a busy few weeks for the Junior inside and outside the classroom.  From the hosting of the Avon Lenox School, a Memphis City School for the physically and developmentally challenged, for a feel-good game of basketball ball and friendship, to onegs and in-town shabbatons, there's been little down-time for our 7th and 8th graders.

One only had to visit Mrs. Talya Tsuna's 8th grade English class on Friday, though, to learn that the fun doesn't only happen once class lets out.  As part of their English curriculum, our 8th graders have been studying the phenomenon known as origin myths, that is, the way in which ancient cultures composed stories to explain the world around them.  After studying several such myths together, Mrs. Tsuna asked the 8th graders to compose their own.  From tigers jumping through fiery hoops to zebras engaged in a paint fight, and from frogs with overly harsh parents to a kangaroo whose lyposuction went awry, there was no shortage of creativity, imagination, and genuine joy for learning.