Mrs. Blind, one of our elementary teachers, led an online classroom that focused on the constellations in our beautiful night sky. She discussed what the constellations are and the Greek myths and stories behind some of them. The class also talked about a few of the major constellations like Ursa Major and Minor and the roles these "star pictures" played in history.
The attendees were then encouraged to take some time at night to look at the stars and record what they saw. They were also asked to name a constellation they found and create a story behind how it came to be. The writing of 5th grade student Rachel Joshua was selected to be published for her attention to detail and the wonderful story she wrote for this project.
Constellation Ageus
by Rachel Joshua
There once was a brave warrior named Mia, daughter of Zeus. Mia had a favorite weapon, Ageus. It had an artificial head of Medusa. When she went in combat, her enemies froze in fear when they saw it, but the best thing was it was a portable shield. When she tapped on her shield, it turned into a bracelet! So she always kept it on.
One day Mia was practicing her fighting with her brother James, and he put a dent in her shield but she didn't mind. For 40 days she fought with her brother. He put a huge dent in her shield. She looked at the front and realized that it was as small as her stomach and it couldn't be fixed. She cried and cried all day and night. And then the Goddess Aphrodite saw what was happening and turned her shield into stars, and the next morning the Goddess put a note on her dresser saying:
Dear Mia,
I saw what happened to your shield. You won't find your shield anywhere but the night sky. I turned it into stars so you could always remember it!
Love,
The Love Goddess
Mia was so happy she could see her shield every night! So from that night on, Mia looked at her shield in the sky.