RENAISSANCE FAIR AT SCHULTZ SPARKS ENTHUSIASM

The halls at L.J. Schultz Middle School were alive with various sights and sounds of medieval culture Tuesday night.

From cardboard swords and armor fashioned out of tin foil to stained glass to Duke Robert's Castle dramatization it became apparent that an idea by the faculty had reached fruition.

"The whole faculty thought this would be a good way to bring all disciplines together for a hands-on learning experience," said Betty Schuetts, one of the teachers at Schultz who helped coordinate the Renaissance Fair.

"The students spent the last five or six weeks either researching their projects or learning songs or lines for the play they wrote," explained Schuetts.

A 10-minute play took place in the school library. "We're sure the seventh grade will take what it learned from this and keep it for life," said Schuetts to the parents who just witnessed the play.

One display depicted a medieval barber shop. A sign on the display read :"You grow it, we'll cut it."

Another booth titled "The Majic Shack" included various medieval potions, a skull and even a jar with the "black plague" inside.

There was a Jester Shop, a medieval banquet and a display of medieval weapons.

"It's a different way for the students to learn about a time in history," said Schuetts.

"By spending time in the library researching Galieo's solar system or what a medieval town looked like, they can learn something in a more active way. The more involved they get, the more apt they are to remember what they learned."

Some students read excerpts from Camelot, others recited Shakespearean sonnets while others informed those walking through the halls about their "Hall of Heraldry."

Said Schuetts,"The students seem to show a lot of interest in their projects. It looks like this will be an annual event."