EM middle school students have fun with history during renaissance fair

By Cara L. Dempski

ELK MOUND — Middle school students in Elk Mound had a unique lesson in history and teamwork on November 21 and 22 when they researched, prepared for, and held the school’s first Renaissance Fair.

Principal Chris Hahn said the students did a lot of research about foods, fashions, weapons, games, construction, royal families and protocol, and knights and family coats of arms to prepare for the day. The bulk of the work for the November 22 fair was done on November 21.

Hahn said school staff pitched the idea during a meeting prior to the start of the school year, and he admitted he was initially a little hesitant about the idea.

“I was a little unsure at first, because I did not know if the kids would get into it,” Hahn stated.

He need not have worried, since the students decorated the school, prepared food and games, and dressed in period clothing for the event.

The gymnasium housed the royal family and exhibits on renaissance construction, while the cafeteria had nearly a dozen stations with students ready to educate attendees about period weapons. The fifth and sixth grade wing hosted knights and various forms of entertainment, and the seventh and eighth grade wings offered a fashion show, foods of the renaissance, and the Globe Theater, complete with a ticket booth to an annotated Shakespearean production.

Morgan Kinblom, an eighth-grade student offering gingerbread to sample in the food room, said the historical period was fun to learn about and she enjoyed preparing for the fair.

Families of the students involved were invited to the fair, as were the students at Mound View Elementary School.