Clarendon Hills Middle School Welcomes Vietnam Veterans, Launches Rockets in Honor of Sixties Day

For the last 14 years, eighth graders at Clarendon Hills Middle School have participated in an annual daylong celebration of the 1960s. The event is the culminating project of a unit focusing on that era of American history. Teacher Mario Castillo notes that the day’s activities are designed to be cross-curricular, incorporating not only social studies but also art and science. The art activity was bead making, with students creating bracelets, necklaces, and keychains while 1960s music and TV programs played in the background. The science activity was a rocket launch. Earlier that week, students worked in small groups to design the small engine rockets and then launched them with the assistance of their science teachers.

Social studies lessons were interwoven throughout, but perhaps most clearly in the conversations of Vietnam War veterans who spoke with students. Castillo reached out to the Vietnam Veterans of America and VietNow organizations to invite local veterans to come to the school and share their stories with the eighth graders.

Other activities included learning about the Peace Corps’ efforts during the 1960s through a presentation by Bob Knuti and eighth grade teacher Mary Sprengnether, who shared her experiences as a “typical kid” of the 1960s. Students also enjoyed a CHMS version of Woodstock in the cafeteria, as students and teachers performed songs and dances of the sixties.

Castillo notes, “Sixties Day provided students with an opportunity to learn about American history and pop culture and feel the spirit of 1960s decade in a fun and meaningful way.”