Ninth graders gathered at the Pavilion to share the creation stories they had prepared for their Integrated Humanities I class. Each student selected a story from Virginia Hamilton’s In the Beginning, researched the culture behind it, and then learned the tale well enough to retell it aloud. The aim was to hear different creation stories from around the world and notice both the unique parts and the common themes.
Integrated Humanities I students telling origin stories around a campfire. Photo: Jacob Slagel ’26.
Max Mortimer ’29 said the experience “was kind of cool to learn about another background of the story.” Mortimer enjoyed hearing what classmates presented. “It was fun doing it as a class,” Mortimer said while roasting a marshmallow. “My story was about the god Ra from Egypt, and how he created humans, plants, and animals. I did not know much about ancient Egypt before, but after researching this and telling the story, I feel like I learned a lot more,” he added.
Philippe Joly ’29 said he also liked the assignment. “Yeah, I really enjoyed it. It was good to learn like new mythic things.”
The stories covered a range of traditions. Some explained how the world began or why certain things exist, and others focused on gods or natural events. Students said that having a choice of culture and topic helped them find a story that interested them, making the retelling feel natural, as if they were hearing a familiar story from home.
Mortimer noted that the setting made the night feel different from a typical classroom activity. “I’ve never done anything like this around a campfire at night,” he said. “It made it feel special.”
The evening concluded with students completing their stories and reflecting on what they had learned from the research and from listening to one another.
“It was good for everyone to learn something new, and it’s another cool thing Northwood does,” Mortimer said.
