Enjoy St. Patrick’s Day on March 17! And enjoy the entire month of March in the School Library as we feature books and other library resources to celebrate all things Irish and Ireland.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Category: Holidays & Observances
Ireland and the Irish
St. Patrick’s Day is March 17. Celebrate all month long in your School Library as we feature books on all things Ireland and the Irish!
Find Out More: International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is March 8.
Here are some sources for more information on International Women’s Day and related issues and information.
- International Women’s Day
- United Nations
- Amnesty International
- Government of Canada
- BBC
- Canadian Museum for Human Rights
Join with us in the school library as all month long we look at issues related to the status of women in Canada and around the world.
International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is coming up next week. Every year on March 8 the world takes a day to recognize the ongoing fight for women’s equality. All month long you are invited to join with us in the School Library as we focus on issues related to IWD, including feminism, women authors, equal rights, women’s suffrage, and influential women from history and today.
Freedom to Read Week
Do you believe that you should be able to choose what you read? Or should other people be able to decide for you what you can read? Freedom to Read Week celebrates our fundamental freedoms as citizens of democracies and our fundamental rights as human beings. Freedom to Read Week also asks to to beware of the forces at work which erode and seek to destroy your rights and freedoms.
Do you take your Freedom to Read for granted? These are books that are available in our libraries which have been challenged, and in far too many cases, removed from shelves, and banned. Many of the books pictured here are on the list of the top 20 most banned books in the U.S. for the 2021-2022 school year.
This isn’t just happening in authoritarian states such as North Korea, Iran, China or Russia. This is happening in the so-called free world. This is happening in the United States. So far it hasn’t been as bad in Canada, but challenges are growing here and there are too many who want American censorship to come to Canada.
Find out more:
Banned in the USA: The Growing Movement to Censor Books in Schools
15 Famous Black Canadians
Try the Sporcle Quiz to test your knowledge of some notable Canadians.
Join us this February in your School Library as we celebrate Black History Month.
Freedom to Read Week is Coming Up
Join with us at your School Library as we observe and celebrate Freedom to Read Week in Canada, February 19-25, 2023.
Speaking Truth to Power: Valentine’s Day
Although much about the historical Saint Valentine is sketchy and obscure, it is traditionally believed that in the 3rd Century, Valentine, a Christian priest, was arrested by forces of the Roman Emperor. He was martyred for his faith and his defiance of Empire. Happy Saint Valentine’s Day.
source: wikimedia / CC BY-SA 3.0 AT
Find out more:
- History.com: St. Valentine Beheaded
- NPR: The Dark Origins of Valentine’s Day
- Mental Floss: The Saint We Call Valentine
- Valentine’s Day by Mari C. Schuh. 394.2 SCH
Black History in British Columbia
Learn more about the history of Black Canadians in our province. “For close to 30 years BC Black History Awareness Society has hosted a Black History Month program to recognize and celebrate the achievements and contributions of historical and contemporary people of African descent.” BC Black History Awareness Society.
Visit the virtual museum exhibit: British Columbia’s Black Pioneers.
World Read Aloud Day
When parents read aloud to their children, they are making a profound contribution to the growth of their kids as readers, listeners and learners. Reading aloud to kids helps to introduce children to the wonders and magic of the world of stories. So many amazing things can happen when parents read to their kids. Parents reading to their kids is one of the most powerful factors in children becoming readers.
Yet it doesn’t need to stop once kids learn to read to themselves. Indeed, it should never stop. Adults, teens, people of all ages love being read to and reap the benefits when they get the chance to listen. High school teachers who give reading aloud a try almost always find that the kids love it and that it can be a powerful educational opportunity.
World Read Aloud Day is a chance to recognize the power of the joy of reading aloud. Spread the word!
Find out more:
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Join with us as we take this day to remember the many millions who died during the Holocaust, to learn more about what happened, and resolve to fight against anti-Semitism, racism and other forms of hate and violent oppression.
The term “Holocaust” refers to the period in history in which the Nazi regime of Germany murdered over 6 million Jews, as well as millions of other victims, including Roma, homosexuals, people with physical and mental disabilities, and more. The Nazi persecution of the Jews began in the early 1930’s and reached its most horrific and brutal peak during the period of 1941-1945, as the Nazis adopted as official policy the “Final Solution,” the attempt at completely annihilating the entire Jewish population.
The Holocaust is not the only example of genocide in human history. What makes the Holocaust stand out amongst the long and plentiful list of human atrocities and evil? Germany was amongst the most powerful nations of the world and a leader in science, technology, medicine and engineering. The German contributions to art, music, literature and philosophy put German culture at the heart of what we would call Western Civilization. And yet this supposedly civilized people turned their great achievements and progress towards planning and carrying out ruthless genocidal murder with scientific and economic efficiency.
source: wikimedia commons / public domain
The date of January 27 was chosen for this solemn observance as the death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated on January 27, 1945.
source: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, License CC-BY-SA 3.0
For more on the Holocaust:
Burns Nights
The beloved Scottish poet Robert Burns, or “Rabbie Burns,” was born on this day in 1759. From Scotland to all parts of the world where you will find people with Scottish roots, Burns Night is not just a celebration of the man, and his poetry, but also of Scottish heritage.
Also called a Burns Supper, Burns Night is: “a celebration of the life and works of the poet Robert Burns; Scottish by birth and held in fond regard by Scots all over the world, his life and poetry speak to the struggles common to all people. It is an evening of food, drink, entertainment, and friendship. It is an event that transcends time, geographical borders, political, and religious beliefs to bring people together in celebration of the everyman.” (From burnsnight.net)
For more information on Robbie Burns and “Burns Night”:
Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Library 