Melrose students make some artwork in teacher Erica Connolly’s classroom that depicts the blue and white colors of the Greek flag. The students’ creations will be displayed in an assemblage on the wall outside the art studio for the rest of the year. PHOTOS BY ANDREA VON HOHENLEITEN
A country that is considered the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy will be studied by students during the 2026-27 year at the local elementary school.
The cultural committee at Melrose School selected Greece as its annual topic. The students will learn about the language and mythology of the European country on the Mediterranean, and they also will explore the Olympics, which were founded in ancient Greece in 776 BC.
Principal Beth Roman said the school has selected a particular culture as the theme for “immersive learning experiences” for the past eight years, including France, Italy, and China. Last year, the theme was the Narragansett Indian Tribe.
“I just think the idea of having a cultural committee at our school on our little island, and having a different focused area that kids engage in every year, is so incredible,” she said. “Not just for our kids, but also for our community, because what they learn here doesn’t just stay here. It spreads out to the conversations at the dinner table and with the siblings who are not here. It really grows as they engage with it.”
Greek literature and music will be part of the curriculum Melrose students study this year. These include Homer’s classics the Iliad and the Odyssey and the Greek instrument bouzouki, which looks and sounds similar to a guitar or mandolin.
The idea to select Greece came from art teacher Erica Connolly, whose children visited the country in the spring and studied the archeological sites.
“It was very educational,” she said. “I thought it would be perfect for the next place of study.”
The topic was introduced to the students on the first day of their art classes last week. The students created miniature-sized canvases using the blue and white colors of the Greek flag. All those paintings will be displayed in an assemblage on the wall outside the art studio for the rest of the year.
Students also are being introduced to the Greek theme through the school-wide weekly meetings every Monday. Roman said the students will share what they’re learning in the classroom about Greece during those meetings throughout the year.
Connolly said she will teach a variety of Greek art in her classes, including pottery, fashion and architecture. Greek mythology, including Zeus, the king of the sky, weather and ruler of Mount Olympus, will take center stage. Those tales were immortalized in Homer’s epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey.
A chart shows students the 24 letters in the Greek alphabet.
“There’s so much richness, and kids love Greek mythology and all the stories,” Connolly said. “It’s a way to really connect and engage them.”
Connolly is incorporating a listening technology into her lessons so students can listen as they walk. Roman said the technology is like the guided audio tours at museums. They take the form of a podcast that includes music and mythology that students can listen to during their daily walk in the art class.
Aside from those daily walks, Connolly said she starts each art class with simple greetings in Greek, and students also will be learning Greek numbers, colors and the alphabet.
In the music classes, teacher Erin Preston will write a miniature musical featuring Greek mythology for the second graders, which will be performed in April. Students in all grade levels will learn traditional Greek folk songs and folk dancing. In the physical education classes, Joe Ucci will teach students about the history of the Olympics and how the ancient games compare to the modern ones.
A board in art teacher Erica Connolly’s classroom shows her students how to greet people in Greek.
Librarian Kate Carlos said she has books about Greek myths for all grade levels and ages. There are poetry books appropriate for younger grades, books about modern-day Greece, and novels like the Percy Jackson series that incorporate Greek mythology.
“We’ve kind of pulled those out, and we’re highlighting them,” Carlos said. “We’re talking about how it connects to what they’re doing in art and music. They seem to be really enjoying it.”
The ongoing year-round Greek curriculum will be complemented with one-off events. On Nov. 18, the school is having “a constellation night,” where an astronomer will make connections between constellations in the night sky and the mythological figures the children are learning about. Additionally, there will be a giant puppet parade with Greek mythological creatures in March.
“I can’t wait for the giant puppet parade,” Connolly said. “That’s going to be very exciting. Each class will choose a mythical creature and we’ll be able to showcase that for our community.”
There also will be an art show in May featuring all the work the students have done throughout the school year. Connolly believes it is going to be “a rich and immersive experience.”
“There’s so many different areas to explore,” she said. “We can relate to it as an island community ourselves. There’s a lot of similarities we can draw.”
