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Renaissance Faire takes students, teachers back to the Middle Ages

By Staff

Fifth-grade students at Christa McAuliffe Elementary School hosted the 2009 Renaissance Faire on the school’s basketball court. This is the third year the school has showcased student work and research on the Middle Ages.
The school grounds were transformed into a medieval courtyard Thursday evening with booths for butchers, tailors, potters and armorers. In the middle of the yard the royal court showcased a staged feast, knighting ceremony and coronation of two sets of kings and queens from England and Scotland.
Fifth-grade students also learned to play chess during their studies and faced off in their own game of human chess.
Lisa Terrill, a fifth-grade social studies teacher and organizer of the event, explained that students have been studying the historical era for nearly two months as part of a unit in the school’s Core Knowledge curriculum. She also said parent-volunteer Jessie Vazquez-Piles assisted with organizing the event.
“This is our core knowledge curriculum,” said Terrill. “It’s a curriculum with history, literature and fine arts.”
Students researched the Middle Ages, created a shield with their own family crest, set up booths and organized the stage presentations.
Cape Coral residents who attended the Renaissance Faire could purchase tickets to receive pony rides, try their hand at archery, write calligraphy or purchase a princess hat.
Proceeds from the activities and food for sale went toward the fifth grade’s overnight trip to the Kennedy Space Center. The trip is taken before those students graduate.
Chantel Smith, music teacher at Christa McAuliffe, said the children also learned to play the recorder as part of the unit.