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Education

Living history Military re-enactments bring back the past. By Susan BelknappPublished: April, 2010

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St. Catherine’s Military Academy in Anaheim hosted its 12th annual Civil War Educational Weekend on March 20 and 21. More than 200 professional re-enactors staged famous battles and re-created life during the Civil War.     The re-enactment was only the beginning of the fun and participatory learning experiences for the whole family. Free classroom presentations and a historical scavenger hunt put an emphasis on experiential learning and set this kid-friendly re-enactment apart from the classroom experience.     “Our focus is to help students better understand the Civil War and to spark their interest in history through an interactive experience that appeals to children,” says Joanna Ronan, director of Advancement and Marketing at St. Catherine’s Military Academy. “Civil War Weekend has evolved from a classroom lesson. It’s grown bigger, better and more detailed each year, because students’ interest and thirst for knowledge has grown.     “In reliving this historical event in which so many Americans lost their lives, we also try to emphasize the importance of working for peace through non-violent means,” says Ronan.     The theme of the weekend centers on the New Market Skirmish, where cadets from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) fought alongside actual Civil War units. The fact that the battle is about kids immediately piques the students’ attention.     For the past 12 years, the event began during the first week in March, when Mary Crowley – history buff, former educator and St. Catherine’s volunteer – visits local schools to make a classroom presentation. Using PowerPoint, poster boards and old-fashioned storytelling, Crowley relates the events that led up to the New Market Skirmish, the battle itself, and the key role played by the VMI cadets.     Crowley also sets the stage for how the skirmish will be executed on the battlefield and what the students need to look for during the re-enactment.     At the re-enactment event, the Trivia Challenge becomes a major draw. This historical scavenger hunt sends students around the school’s 8-acre campus to find answers to questions regarding the Civil War and everyday life in the mid-19th century.     Because focusing on education is paramount, authenticity and detail are important in the Trivia Challenge. Questions are unique to each unit or group, so children can have access to a wide variety of information – sometimes very specific information.     They may ask a soldier about his uniform, watch a civilian prepare a campfire lunch or learn how to spin wool. A re-enactor has even taught students about baseball during the Civil War.     The re-enactors provide the questions and answers when they arrive the Friday before each year’s Trivia. St. Catherine’s then verifies the questions for accuracy and creates the final version, which can be picked up at the event or downloaded from the school’s Web site beginning Saturday morning, the first day of the festivities.      Questions from the Trivia Challenge help the students engage in dialog with the re-enactors, who remain in character at all times. The Trivia Challenge may have students asking a soldier what he carries in his haversack, watching a surgeon comfort a wounded man at the field hospital or even learning period lingo.     “Civil War Weekend is focused on education and is designed especially for children,” says Ronan. “We have battles, but the emphasis is on living history. It’s about the human element and learning about all aspects of life during the Civil War through interaction with the various re-enactors. The Trivia Challenge, our historical scavenger hunt, acts as a guide and is a great activity for families to work on together. CHEERS TO 121 YEARS! St. Catherine’s Military Academy, the oldest Catholic school in Orange County, was founded on March 19, 1889, by the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose as a co-educational school for the children of Anaheim and a boarding academy for girls.     St. Catherine’s changed as the needs of the community changed. In the early 1900s, it became an orphanage and then an all-boys resident school. In 1924, St. Catherine’s adopted a military model of education in order to provide discipline for the boys.      St. Catherine’s opened its doors to day students in the 1950s. Since 1990, the enrollment has shifted from mostly residents to day students. Primary grades were reinstated.      Today, the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine’s Military Academy continues to educate the children of Orange County.      Today’s students consider St. Catherine’s more than a school – it is a way of life.

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