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The Olympic Torch Relay had it’s official start at the Berlin 1936 games. The Greeks had employed a ritual fire in the ancient Olympics to honor Zeus, however, they never staged a relay of torchbearers to open their games. The Torch Relay was the brainchild of Carl Diem, the chief organizer of the Berlin Games, who envisioned more than 3,000 runners transporting the flame from the cradle of the ancient Olympics to Berlin’s Olympic Stadium. Learn more here: Olympic Torch Relay’s Surprising History
The Beijing 2022 Olympic Torch Relay took place this week from February 2nd to the 4th. It crossed three cities: Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou, with approximately 1200 torchbearers and the first-ever robot-to-robot handover in history. The Torch’s design of a whirling red line on the torch’s body represents the winding Great Wall, the skiing courses, and mankind’s relentless pursuit of light, peace, and excellence. The red and silver colours for the torch are metaphors of ice and fire, meant to symbolise how the torch will bring 'light and warmth to the world of ice and snow'. The torchbearers range in age from 86 years old to the youngest at 14 years old, and are from all walks of life, including former NBA player and now president of the Chinese Basketball Association, Yao Ming. Learn more here: 2022 Torch Relay
For more information about the grand history of the Olympics, as well as up to date stories about the Beijing 2022 Olympic athletes, the event schedule, Medal awards, and so much more, please visit this website: BEIJING 2022
Louis Zamperini was an Olympic distance runner who competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He was set to compete again in the 1940 games in Tokyo, when World War II broke out. Zamperini enlisted in the Army Air Corps and ended up a bombardier. Tragically, in 1943, his plane suffered mechanical failure and crashed into the ocean where he and the other airmen drifted for 47 days, finally washing ashore in Japanese territory. His incredible and inspirational life story is covered in these two amazing books.
Don't Give Up, Don't Give In: Lessons from an Extraordinary Life by Louis Zamperini, David Rensin “He was a youthful troublemaker from California who turned his life around to become a 1936 Olympian and a world-class miler at the University of Southern California. Putting aside his superstar track career, Louis Zamperini volunteered for the army before Pearl Harbor and was thrust into the violent combat of World War II as a B-24 bombardier. While on a rescue mission, his plane went down in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, where he survived, against all odds, drifting two thousand miles in a small raft for forty-seven days. His struggle was only beginning…” Click on the book link above to put on hold, or read a full review here: GoodReads
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand “On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane's bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War. The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini.” Click on the book link above to put on hold, or read a full review here: GoodReads
CALLING ALL SENIORS!
North PTO scholarship applications are available on the CCR Naviance site. We offer two $1000 scholarships; applicants' families need to be current PTO members (you can pay current year membership dues of $30 prior to submission of application on PushCoin or the PTO website). All applications are reviewed by an independent, external panel of three and the deadline is March 17, 2022.
St. Charles North High School