thedrifter
01-24-09, 06:18 AM
Article published Saturday, January, 2009
Dundee High School teens learn about sacrifice in hands-on history lesson
By JANET ROMAKER
BLADE STAFF WRITER
DUNDEE - Crawling on their bellies behind enemy lines, soldiers in sweat pants and varsity jackets inched closer to the front … the front lawn of Dundee High School.
On makeshift battlefields, the role-playing soldiers died and then sprang into action and died all over again as American history lessons came to life.
The war games revolved around the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I, and the Vietnam War, but with snowballs as ammunition, the outdoor classroom setting, whipped by harsh winds, seemed more like a chapter from the Cold War.
The hands-on, outdoor activities were designed to remind students about the sacrifices made - and the hardships endured - by soldiers who fought for freedoms we have today.
Before the winter "war games" got under way, American history teacher Jeremy Simmons said it's important to learn about the past, to learn why wars were fought, and how battles were won or lost.
Outdoor history lesson
"It is an honor for me to talk about American history and to tell stories about those who can't tell them," he said.
Then he asked students to keep in mind just how hard it was for soldiers to do what they did back then. It takes courage, he said, to advance 30 feet from your fellow soldiers, knowing that you're going to take a bullet.
Yet the soldiers battled on because they were fighting for something they believed in, Mr. Simmons said. Remember, he said, soldiers fought - and died - for freedom, such as the freedom to go to a football game on a Friday night.
After some quick last-minute instructions, students trekked outside and tackled the first task: make something to throw at the enemy. To keep the powdery snow properly packed, students used water stored in two big orange water coolers borrowed from the athletic department.
With two snowballs each, students lined up on opposing sides and snapped to attention as two Marines barked orders. OK, some snapped. Others were too busy tugging on their mittens or grumbling about the lack of portable heaters.
"Listen to my voice and my voice only. That is very important," said Sgt. Matthew Biehl of Wyandotte, Mich., who told students that during the Revolutionary War, British soldiers were trained to make no move without a direct order from their commander. That, he said, is called "discipline."
To simulate the rapid volley of fire by soldiers in that war, rows of students lobbed snowballs, and then dropped to their knees.
The second ranks did the same, and then the next rows. The ranks repeated with fresh snowballs.
Before the invention of the machine gun, such a strategy was used to gain the advantage during a battle, Sergeant Biehl explained.
Students moved on to another area where they tried to dig fighting holes, but the frozen ground at the school in Monroe County didn't budge beneath their stabs with a shovel. Deep fighting holes were, and still are, a matter of survival, Sergeant Biehl said.
"The less of me they can see, the less of me they can shoot," he said.
To reinforce what they've been studying in the classroom, students yesterday dug furrows in the snow to simulate soldiers who sought cover and concealment in trenches during World War I.
In other action, students built snow forts and defended them under heavy fire. They crawled on the ground, taking direct hits as snowballs streaked across the open field. "Stay low! Stay low!" Mr. Simmons shouted.
Adam Tibai, 17, was in a hurry to scurry. "I just hoped the kid in front of me would crawl a little faster so I could get going," he said.
Lance Cpl. Brandon Plumb of Dundee explained that soldiers do a high crawl when speed is of the essence. A ground-hugging low crawl is in order when soldiers are in the line of fire.
Ashley Rutter, 17, said she gained insight into what soldiers went through during World War I. "This showed how bad it was for them. I have a new understanding. We have the newest boots and the nicest gloves, and we're out here and we're cold."
The soldiers, she said, had to tough it out against much harsher conditions. "It's good for the Marines to come here. It's a good opportunity for us to learn history," she said.
Katie Snell and Julie Gram, both 17, clutched snowballs and slogged through the trenches as other students fell under a fresh batch of launched frozen ammo. Some students "died" instantly. Others were a bit more theatrical. Rick Miller, 16, managed to pull his sweatshirt hood over his head after he took a "fatal" hit.
Nearby, 16-year-old Amanda Smith gave orders. "I'll scootch and you throw," she said, dropping into a trench and heading into battle.
Mitch Bogi, 17, who said he's considering joining the Army, warned his classmates to keep their heads down. "Trust me," he said, noting that he learned a lot about how soldiers face and overcome obstacles. "This was like a real war atmosphere, only with snowballs."
Both Marines who participated in the activities yesterday are recruiters in the Monroe area, but the focus was on learning American history, and not on recruiting, they emphasized.
Interacting with the students and explaining military strategy as it relates to their studies is one way to get students to see military personnel in a different light, Sergeant Biehl said. "We get out here and get dirty, and they learn about a little piece of history."
At the end of one outdoor session, Mr. Simmons asked a question. "Was this the best lecture I could have given?" His students responded with a resounding "Yes!" And then he said: "That's what I thought."
It was a serious history lesson, but when you put a bunch of kids outdoors with snow, there's going to be some funny stuff.
As students took not-so-friendly snowball fire from their classmates, Lyndsay Heck popped her head up, looked around, wiped her runny nose, and asked: "Does anyone have a Kleenex?"
Contact Janet Romaker at:
jromaker@theblade.com or
419-724-6006.
Video
snowballweb3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljUm1EF4gQ4&eurl=http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090124/NEWS16/901240405
http://toimg.sv.publicus.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=TO&Date=20090124&Category=NEWS16&ArtNo=901240405&Ref=H9&MaxW=200
Ellie
Dundee High School teens learn about sacrifice in hands-on history lesson
By JANET ROMAKER
BLADE STAFF WRITER
DUNDEE - Crawling on their bellies behind enemy lines, soldiers in sweat pants and varsity jackets inched closer to the front … the front lawn of Dundee High School.
On makeshift battlefields, the role-playing soldiers died and then sprang into action and died all over again as American history lessons came to life.
The war games revolved around the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I, and the Vietnam War, but with snowballs as ammunition, the outdoor classroom setting, whipped by harsh winds, seemed more like a chapter from the Cold War.
The hands-on, outdoor activities were designed to remind students about the sacrifices made - and the hardships endured - by soldiers who fought for freedoms we have today.
Before the winter "war games" got under way, American history teacher Jeremy Simmons said it's important to learn about the past, to learn why wars were fought, and how battles were won or lost.
Outdoor history lesson
"It is an honor for me to talk about American history and to tell stories about those who can't tell them," he said.
Then he asked students to keep in mind just how hard it was for soldiers to do what they did back then. It takes courage, he said, to advance 30 feet from your fellow soldiers, knowing that you're going to take a bullet.
Yet the soldiers battled on because they were fighting for something they believed in, Mr. Simmons said. Remember, he said, soldiers fought - and died - for freedom, such as the freedom to go to a football game on a Friday night.
After some quick last-minute instructions, students trekked outside and tackled the first task: make something to throw at the enemy. To keep the powdery snow properly packed, students used water stored in two big orange water coolers borrowed from the athletic department.
With two snowballs each, students lined up on opposing sides and snapped to attention as two Marines barked orders. OK, some snapped. Others were too busy tugging on their mittens or grumbling about the lack of portable heaters.
"Listen to my voice and my voice only. That is very important," said Sgt. Matthew Biehl of Wyandotte, Mich., who told students that during the Revolutionary War, British soldiers were trained to make no move without a direct order from their commander. That, he said, is called "discipline."
To simulate the rapid volley of fire by soldiers in that war, rows of students lobbed snowballs, and then dropped to their knees.
The second ranks did the same, and then the next rows. The ranks repeated with fresh snowballs.
Before the invention of the machine gun, such a strategy was used to gain the advantage during a battle, Sergeant Biehl explained.
Students moved on to another area where they tried to dig fighting holes, but the frozen ground at the school in Monroe County didn't budge beneath their stabs with a shovel. Deep fighting holes were, and still are, a matter of survival, Sergeant Biehl said.
"The less of me they can see, the less of me they can shoot," he said.
To reinforce what they've been studying in the classroom, students yesterday dug furrows in the snow to simulate soldiers who sought cover and concealment in trenches during World War I.
In other action, students built snow forts and defended them under heavy fire. They crawled on the ground, taking direct hits as snowballs streaked across the open field. "Stay low! Stay low!" Mr. Simmons shouted.
Adam Tibai, 17, was in a hurry to scurry. "I just hoped the kid in front of me would crawl a little faster so I could get going," he said.
Lance Cpl. Brandon Plumb of Dundee explained that soldiers do a high crawl when speed is of the essence. A ground-hugging low crawl is in order when soldiers are in the line of fire.
Ashley Rutter, 17, said she gained insight into what soldiers went through during World War I. "This showed how bad it was for them. I have a new understanding. We have the newest boots and the nicest gloves, and we're out here and we're cold."
The soldiers, she said, had to tough it out against much harsher conditions. "It's good for the Marines to come here. It's a good opportunity for us to learn history," she said.
Katie Snell and Julie Gram, both 17, clutched snowballs and slogged through the trenches as other students fell under a fresh batch of launched frozen ammo. Some students "died" instantly. Others were a bit more theatrical. Rick Miller, 16, managed to pull his sweatshirt hood over his head after he took a "fatal" hit.
Nearby, 16-year-old Amanda Smith gave orders. "I'll scootch and you throw," she said, dropping into a trench and heading into battle.
Mitch Bogi, 17, who said he's considering joining the Army, warned his classmates to keep their heads down. "Trust me," he said, noting that he learned a lot about how soldiers face and overcome obstacles. "This was like a real war atmosphere, only with snowballs."
Both Marines who participated in the activities yesterday are recruiters in the Monroe area, but the focus was on learning American history, and not on recruiting, they emphasized.
Interacting with the students and explaining military strategy as it relates to their studies is one way to get students to see military personnel in a different light, Sergeant Biehl said. "We get out here and get dirty, and they learn about a little piece of history."
At the end of one outdoor session, Mr. Simmons asked a question. "Was this the best lecture I could have given?" His students responded with a resounding "Yes!" And then he said: "That's what I thought."
It was a serious history lesson, but when you put a bunch of kids outdoors with snow, there's going to be some funny stuff.
As students took not-so-friendly snowball fire from their classmates, Lyndsay Heck popped her head up, looked around, wiped her runny nose, and asked: "Does anyone have a Kleenex?"
Contact Janet Romaker at:
jromaker@theblade.com or
419-724-6006.
Video
snowballweb3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljUm1EF4gQ4&eurl=http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090124/NEWS16/901240405
http://toimg.sv.publicus.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=TO&Date=20090124&Category=NEWS16&ArtNo=901240405&Ref=H9&MaxW=200
Ellie