Schools
Celebrating Medieval Times at Local Middle School
Once a year Walter Reed Middle School offers 7th graders the opportunity to research and recreate a Medieval crossroad event, "Medieval Faire," featuring booths of costumed students entertaining, feeding, and informing one another.
A blonde girl with a large heart painted on her left cheek turns her back to the wind and hollers:
"Two tickets for homemade baked cookies!"
This was the start of a delicious assortment of baked goods, home-prepared original dishes, and caligraphed signs touting services from the Middle Ages. These services ranged from archery ranges and jewelry made of candy to homemade tea with fresh mint leaves.
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A quartet of instrumentalists plays spirited baroque melodies into a powerful breeze. The breeze simultaneously topples a large sign for "Ye Olde Bakery" with a gust so overwhelming that it threatens a gusty plague on today's planned event. But sunny skies and calmer winds soon follow, proving today was fated to be a victorious fair.
Every April, Studio City is showered with painted faces, lace gowns, jester hats, and homemade items from students of the Middle Ages—7th Graders at Walter Reed Middle School. The medieval times and subsequent Renaissance are explored in about fifty booths designed and manned by students.
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Hard-working history teacher, Wende Mintz, and head of the history department at Walter Reed, Patricia Eskander, spearheaded a wonderful day of learn-by-doing, role-playing, and recreation of the best of the past.
Coordinator of Small Learning Communities, Tomer Kleinman, commented, "This is the best year ever! Patty and Wende and this group of kids really knocked themselves out. Very impressive!" This was echoed by faculty members David Graham, David Ramos, Michele Syzmanski, Sylvia Rigsby, Kate Mansfield, Maggie Small and Andi Washington.
One after another they echoed: "Best booths, best food, best fair I've seen so far!"
From Apothecaries to blacksmiths, the ancients are represented by the young. And these kids knew their subject matter. Many of the costumes were accurately designed to replicate clothing of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
Signs of the Scientific Revolution were revealed by the sale of pizza and bottled water.
One team of students had created a brilliant cathedral, complete with stained glass windows and polished steeple. See the accompanying footage and photos for a closer look.
Parents worked hard to assist in every facet of the day-long performance. Kids entered wide-eyed and exited laughing and beaming. Ye days of olde never looked quite this good!
