•

Our Truly Missing Classmates - Please help us find them! We will continue to look for these people - please help in this endeavor!

•

The Month of February
February is the second month of the year, has 28 days in a common year, and is named after the Latin word februum.
February's birth flower is Primrose.©bigstockphoto.com/rand22
February is the second month of the year in our modern day Gregorian calendar. It is the year's shortest month with only 28 days in common years and 29 days in leap years.

Naming February - Februum

February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian calendar and its predecessor, the Julian Calendar, and is the only month that has less than 30 days. It was named after the Latin word februum, which means purification because the month was a time for purification.
*    Middle English - Februarius
*    Latin name - Februarius mensis - Month of Februa
*    Latin - dies februatus - Day of Purification
*    Old English - Solmonath - mud month

History of February

The old Roman calendar considered winter a monthless period, thus it only consisted of 10 months. The month of February was added, along with January around 700 BCE by Numa Pompilius so that the calendar would equal a standard lunar year of 355 days. February became the second month of the year around 450 BCE, although it was originally the last month of the year in the old Roman calendar.
February was shortened to either 23 or 24 days at certain intervals in the Roman calendar, in which a 27 day intercalary month was inserted after February to realign the year with the seasons. During the Julian calendar reform, the intercalary month was abolished and leap years were added every fourth year thus February gained a 29th day in leap years.

Second Month

February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian calendar and it's predecessor, the Julian calendar and consists of 28 days in common years and 29 days in leap years. It did not exist in the 10-month Roman calendar. It is considered the seasonal equivalent of August in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the only month that can pass without a single full moon.
February starts on the same day of the week as March and November in common years. During leap years, February starts on the same day of the week as August. Once every six years and twice every 11 years, the month of February will have only four full seven-day weeks, where the first day of the month starts on a Sunday and ends on a Saturday.

Birth Flower and Stone

February's birth flower is the violet and the common primrose.
The birthstone for February is the amethyst which symbolizes piety, humility, spiritual wisdom and sincerity.

•

The word 'March' comes from the Roman 'Martius'. This was originally the first month of the Roman calendar and was named after Mars, the god of war. March was the beginning of our calendar year. We changed to the 'New Style' or 'Gregorian calendar in 1752, and it is only since then when we the year began on 1st January.

The name of March comes from Latin Martius, the first month of the earliest Roman calendar. It was named for Mars, the Roman god of war who was also regarded as a guardian of agriculture and an ancestor of the Roman people through his sons Romulus and Remus. His month Martius was the beginning of the season for both farming and warfare, and the festivals held in his honor during the month were mirrored by others in October, when the season for these activities came to a close.

Martius remained the first month of the Roman calendar year perhaps as late as 153 BC, and several religious observances in the first half of the month were originally new year's celebrations. Even in late antiquity, Roman mosaics picturing the months sometimes still placed March first.

The Jewish Passover usually falls on the first full moon after the Northern Hemisphere vernalequinox, although occasionally (7 times every 19 years) it will occur on the second full moon. The Christian churches calculate Easter as the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the March equinox. The official church definition for the equinox is March 21; however, as the Eastern Orthodox Churches use the older Julian calendar, while the Western Churches use the Gregorian calendar, both of which designate March 21 as the equinox, the actual date of Easter differs. The earliest possible Easter date in any year is therefore March 22 on each calendar. The latest possible Easter date in any year is April 25.
-Wikipedia

The March equinox occurs the moment the sun crosses the celestial equator )the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator) from south to north. This happens either on March 19, 20 or 21 every year.

How Easter Is Decided In The Western Churches:

In 325 AD the Council of Nicaea established that Easter would be held on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox. From that point forward, the Easter date depended on the ecclesiastical approximation of March 21 for the vernal equinox.

Easter is delayed by 1 week if the full moon is on Sunday, which decreases the chances of it falling on the same day as the Jewish Passover. The council’s ruling is contrary to the Quartodecimans, a group of Christians who celebrated Easter on the day of the full moon, 14 days into the month.

March Quotes:

"When March comes in like a lion it goes out like a lamb."

"Daffodils, that come before the swallow dares, and take the winds of March with beauty."
- William Shakespeare

"A dry March and a wet May - fill barns and bays with corn and hay."

"As it rains in March so it rains in June."

"March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers."

•

Join with other Shawnee Mission North Classmates of 1963 and Like us on Facebook! 

Clicking on the icon below will open up a new window.

I have added a link below that is automatically configured to use as a "Refer a Friend" program.  Not only is the Class Creator site used for high school classes, but for families and any group that may benefit. If we refer someone to the site and they sign up for Class Creator, a $50 check will be sent to US!!  This is a great way to earn a little extra money and try to keep our cost down for reunions. If you know anyone that could use the service please pass along the information. To receive credit they must use the link below. If they need assistance please use the "Contact Us" button.

•

You must be logged in to see the rest!

NOTICE:  If you are reading this on an iPad or other Apple product, you may not be able to enjoy all of the features on this website!

•

SMNOF - Shawnee Mission North Opportunity Fund -

“Finding & Funding Opportunities for the Shawnee Mission North Community”

Please visit their website and learn all the good they do for our Shawnee Mission North students!

Click here to go to their website.

To learn more about this excellent opportunity for Shawnee Mission North students, please click here.