Next school year will see the arrival of many different things at Skyline, including its very own mythology class. 

A variety of students are excited to welcome the arrival of this new class, which will not only be a unique class to participate in but also a new way to earn the Senior English credit. One student, Tate Flowers, expressed her interest in the class. “I’ve researched mythology in the past, and I feel like it’s a pretty deep subject, and I want to do a deeper dive into it, because I haven’t gotten that far,” Flowers said. 

But aside from the students of Skyline, another person excited about the arrival of this new course is the teacher herself. Cindi Parks, the soon-to-be mythology teacher, has taught mythology courses before and says she’s fascinated by the different myths and stories that cultures around the world have created. In her class, she hopes to cover stories from all over the world, including (but not limited to) Asian mythology, more contemporary folklore, and of course, the classic Greek and Roman myths. This year, Parks is teaching English to Seniors while also creating her very own curriculum for this new class on the side. 

“I do like the story of Persephone; I do find that story kind of interesting because there’s so many different layers,” Parks said when asked about her favorite myth. She explained that one thing she adores about mythology is there are so many different retellings of each story that can change the entire tone. This directly ties into her favorite myth, because in some retellings, Persephone is tricked into consuming enchanted fruit, forcing her to remain in the Underworld, but in other versions, she chooses to remain there. Depending on the retelling, the entire mood of the story can be altered. 

When asked about what an average day in her class might look like, Parks said, “Of course, we typically start with a starter and everything that will review the concepts that we did the class before, and then we will dive into reading and discussion, and we will do different activities.” She also mentioned she would include movies and documentaries as a part of her class. Her thoughts were that movies and documentaries could prove to be useful visuals for students and help further immerse them in the story and the culture from which it came from. A homework assignment for her mythology class might include some readings and brief questionnaires about the story. “We are going to be doing quite a bit of reading, and some of the reading will have to be at home so that we have the opportunity to do discussion and things like that in class,” Parks explained. 

Part of the reason this new class is coming to Skyline is because of Parks herself. Last year, the state approved this new class to be taught as an English credit. When she heard about it, Parks knew she had to bring it to Skyline. In fact, Skyline will be the first school to teach a mythology class in the district. Parks said, “We are groundbreaking, and it’s gonna be very, very fun, very exciting.”