Classroom Extra Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with a look at the amazing life and career of Roberto Clemente.
Adapted from PARADE’s Teen Newsbreak column
IT is Hispanic Heritage Month (9/15 to 10/15), a time when we think of many notable Hispanics-from union leader Cesar Chavez to astronaut Ellen Ochoa.
One of the most famous Hispanic heroes was Roberto Clemente, an award-winning right fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates. A great batter who was the National League Batting Champion four times, he played in two World Series. But Roberto was more than a great baseball player. He once said, “Any time you have an opportunity to accomplish something for somebody who comes behind you and you don’t do it, you are wasting your time on earth.” He clearly believed it.
In late 1972, Nicaragua suffered a terrible earthquake that killed thousands and left more homeless. Clemente, who had just made his 3000th hit, organized a relief mission. Sadly, he died in a crash aboard a plane full of supplies on New Year’s Eve.
After his death, the Baseball Writers Association of America waived the mandatory 5-year waiting period and immediately inducted him into the Hall of Fame.
Quick News Quiz
1. On September 12, Michael D. Brown, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency:
a. Moved his headquarters to New Orleans.
b. Resigned.
c. Left on a tour of tsunami-damaged areas of Indonesia.
2. A tape delivered to ABC News in Pakistan around the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks featured a masked man threatening:
a. Paris and Rome.
b. Cairo and Jerusalem.
c. Los Angeles and Melbourne.
3. In the final game of the U.S. Open men’s tennis championship, Andre Agassi lost to:
a. Roger Federer.
b. James Blake.
c. Andy Roddick.
4. Sony Studio’s Screen Gems division was startled by the box office success of its new film:
a. Transporter 2.
b. The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
c. The Constant Gardener.
5. The flood of survivors fleeing the Katrina-ravaged Gulf Coast has been most often compared to the mass internal migration of people during:
a. The Dust Bowl of the 1930s.
b. The great Missouri flood of 1906.
c. The building of the continental railroad.
HURRICANE HELP! Hurricane Katrina left thousands of people homeless and hungry throughout Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. They need your help. Get together with your friends to raise money to help the American Red Cross (www.redcross.org). You can hold a car wash or a bake sale. Use your imagination-and your heart.
PARADE and Teen Newsbreak are registered trademarks of PARADE Magazine.
News Clues: Clip international stories about the countries that Hispanic-Americans come from. Find these places on the map and discuss the events that are making news in them.
Who are the most important Hispanic-Americans today? Read the paper and circle any references to today’s Hispanic heroes.
Visit http://www.paradeclassroom.com/links to the official Roberto Clemente site, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and others places to learn about “The Great One.”