Hero Generation: Our School Year

Well, due to extreme technical difficulties--they never go away for me--I am now finally able to publish a few snippets of our school year. This years EPIC adventure was "Hero Generation: A Rendezvous with Destiny". Our goal was to learn about World War II, the heroes that lived during that time, and instill in each child that they each have a special mission in life and they will have an opportunity to be a "Hero" based on their character and the choices they make.

The best part of this year has been meeting the real life World War II heroes who lived through sometimes horrific circumstances. I never imagined I would sit in a room and hear actual holocaust survivors from Auschwitz and other prison camps, discuss forgiveness, hope, and faith. We met with survivors of the inhumane Bataan Death March and their experiences as Japanese POW's that followed. We also met with an orthodox Jewish Rabbi who taught the children about the significance of Chanukah. These are just a few of the great people we were exposed to this year. These photos are just a couple of our field trip/ being there experiences. It has been a great year and I can't wait to start our yet-to-be-unveiled Epic Adventure for next year!

Marching Through History--at Prado? Regional park in Chino
I highly recommend this living history experience to anyone interested in the past. They have camps from most major wars since Roman times--all in authentic period costume. This is a reenactment of a battle in a vintage WWII jeep. They also had a Sherman Tank in the action. I especially enjoyed watching the Revolutionary war soldier make his own lead ball ammunition.

The Rabbi demonstrates the proper way to light a menorah and explains the real miracle of Chanukah.

Camp Pendleton, San Diego

Our trip to Camp Pendleton Marine Corp base featured a tour of the motorized equipment museum, lunch at the mess hall, and a demonstration by the K-9 unit. Based on first hand observation, if a marine with a German Shepard ever tells you to stand still, I recommend you listen. The highlight of the day for the kids was riding the chartered bus all over the base. The low point was the expired registration ticket they favored me with when I drove my minivan on base.

My favorite World War II Hero--my Grandpa Joe Culotta.

He was our honored veteran at our closing day last week. I love this man!

The Japanese-America Museum in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles

Our school group standing in front of the actual remains of barracks from a Japanese internment camp which had once been located in Arizona. Our tour guide was a prisoner in that camp as a young child and lived next door to this very building. Talk about heroes! Many young Japanese men volunteered to serve their country, despite their families being wrongfully imprisoned by that country.

Mr Malehue and Mr. Berest--Bataan death march survivors.

In addition to other inhumane cruelty that these men endured, due to malnutrition and illness both of these men weighed under 75 pounds at points of their imprisonment. Mr. Malehue was able to escape on the march and became a guerrilla warfare leader for the Alliance in the Philippines for the rest of the war. He was later given the rank of Captain in the Navy for his service.

"Rosie the Riveter"

"Rosie" visited our group and told about her experiences as a woman in the home front during the war. Afterwords we ate food from authentic World War II recipes and learned how to dance 1940's style.