Gilroy
– Kings feasted and nobles danced.
The gym walls were covered with tapestries, model castles and
stained glass windows made by students. Teachers and students were
dressed in 16th century garb as they enjoyed a meal of chicken and
mashed potatoes.
Gilroy – Kings feasted and nobles danced.
The gym walls were covered with tapestries, model castles and stained glass windows made by students. Teachers and students were dressed in 16th century garb as they enjoyed a meal of chicken and mashed potatoes.
The St. Andrews Guild, a non-profit organization, joined the children for their festivities during the Medieval Times celebration in the gym of St. Mary School on First Street Tuesday afternoon. They too were dressed for the event, and brought with them an assortment of medieval weaponry to show the children.
The St. Andrew’s Noble Order of Royal Scots has been visiting middle schools throughout central California for seven to eight years. They also have been attending fairs such as the Renaissance Faire for about 23 years, where they put on several shows a day. They are dedicated to educating and entertaining the public by using costumes, armor, and language of the times.
“We teach period dances which are taken from dance manuals of the times,” said Event Coordinator Eric Payne, who plays Don Juan DeMarana. He was put in charge of the program three years ago and enjoys taking the act to schools so children can learn. Their focus is to make the experience so real that the children gather information and facts about history without feeling like they are learning.
JoAnn Castori, a seventh-grade teacher at St. Mary School, told her students to choose a person from the period. Their job was to write an essay on the life of the person and describe how they would travel from their homeland to Scotland, where the feast would be held. The children also had to make a model castle.
Tuesday, the children were shown weapons from the early 1500s, played games from the medieval period and then were given a quick history lesson followed by a huge feast. Next, the kids gathered around to admire the castles that were built followed by dance lessons by the St. Andrew’s Guild.
Castori has held the event for her students for 11 years and plans to continue doing so.
“It really makes history come alive and that is what we are trying to do,” said Castori.
“My mom made my costume,” said Roy Oneto, a seventh-grade student at St. Mary. “First we had a weapons show. Then we played games and that was my favorite part. Then we learned history. Then I ate.”
Michael Aldridge also enjoyed his special day at school.
“It was a lot of fun, but eating was the best part,” he said.
The children agreed that they learned a lot of things from their celebration, which lasted about two and a half hours, and it was a unanimous vote that eating was the best part of the day. Castori and the other teachers just hope that the children learned through there experience.
“They just needed to live during the Middle Ages,” Castori said.
