Five Acre School presents its 12th-annual all school play this week. This year’s all school performance, "Digging Up the Future, A Playful Look at the Greek Myths in Our Modern World," has been integrated into the classrooms in many ways. As an example, Tom Harris, Explorer Class teacher (grades 3-6), asked each student to consider two essential questions: "How can we bring ancient Greece to life on the stage and what do you need

to study in order to be prepared for the play?"

Students created posters answering these two questions. During the "Exploration Station" time in the classroom, students were able to choose from the following stations: (1) ADEPT: Set design/prop design and build, which involves work on designing the set or building props (2) Science: Cooking/Greek Technology, where they choose to research ancient Greek food or scientific/technological inventions of the Greeks; (3) Atelier: Costume design/sandals where a student can research and design ancient Greek clothing; (4) Press: Story/Information about your characters; or, (5) History/Culture: Ancient Greece subject study/map/outline, in which the student can choose a subject from ancient Greece that interests them and pull research together on that subject.

Below are examples of how the theme is introduced into writing assignments:

Some gods and goddesses have more myths written about them because of their power. Aphrodite has the popular power of love. Zeus has the most power of all the gods and goddesses and he is also the master god. Demeter is the mother and people still value her power. These gods and goddesses have popular power and that is why they have more myths written about them.

– Hannah Gloor

Myths were created for various reasons. First, myths guide us on how to behave or how not to behave. For example, the story of Arachne tells not to challenge authority. Second, the stories explain why things are the way they are. For example, the story of Persephone shows why we have winter. Third, they tell why things happen the way they do. For example, the story of Apollo illustrates why the sun crosses the sky. For all of these examples, I think myths were created.

– Liam Harris

How do Greek myths give us guidelines on how to live? I think that myths give us guidelines to our lives. We seem to listen to what the myths tell us to do and what not to do. Myth and stories have meanings that most people call morals. Morals are ways in which people should behave. For example in the myth of Archne, Athena got mad at Archne for as some would say telling the truth or as others would say boasting and challenging a goddess. The stories give us gods and goddess. Almost every god and goddess had a myth tied to them. Aphrodite was made from a drop of Uranus’ blood that fell into the ocean and she was made by the waves. Athena jumped out of Zeus’ forehead and that was how she was made. And that is how myths reflect our lives.

– Emily Taylor