Mike Wolanin | The Republic Diana Black gives a history lesson about covered wagons during Pioneer Day at ABC Stewart School in Columbus, Ind., Friday, Oct. 1, 2022.
ABC-Stewart recently held a special event to help students experience history through some old-fashioned fun.
The school hosted “Pioneer Day” on Sept. 30. The event featured 19 different stations and over 25 volunteers, said culture teacher Sarah Brumberg.
“It’s a way to bring what we’re learning in class to life,” Brumberg said. “We get to actually experience some of the experiences of the pioneers first hand.”
Autumn Hileman, who is also a culture teacher, said that there was a wide range of activities, including square dancing, historical games, quilt-making, candle dipping, blacksmithing, a covered wagon experience, and Native American storytelling. There were also goats and chickens at the event.
“They (the students) were all very excited, so I’m hoping that will just come into the classroom, and they’ll want to learn more,” said Hileman.
Rather than being an annual event, Pioneer Day is part of a three-year cycle at ABC-Stewart. According to Hileman, students are in the middle of their American history year. Last year, the focus was on the renaissance and medieval times. Next year, the year will center on the timespan from the early man to ancient Greece.
School founder Merry Carmichael created the rotation, said ABC-Stewart director Stefanie Stafford.
“Of course, we cover all of the normal things that are covered in every yearly cycle at a school,” she said. “But then we dive in deeper on this three-year rotating curriculum, and that was just her way of giving time for the students to really get into the studies and have a deeper understanding of the time periods that they are studying.”
The curriculum and special events are also paired with a trip for fourth through sixth year students. For instance, the school plans to visit Washington, D.C. in the spring.
Stafford said that, in addition to Brumberg and Hileman’s behind the scenes work in planning Pioneer Day, volunteers were instrumental in making the event a success.
“We appreciate and rely heavily on our community members, who aren’t involved any way in our school but they are just happy to be a part of these events, to help educate the children and give them a hands-on experience into learning about these times,” she said. “So the fact that many of these people continue to show up for us every three years is just amazing.”
