An Hour of Life in the 16th Century

On Tuesday May 27th, it was time for the annual “Walk Through Time” event, and this year’s new approach certainly did not disappoint. The end result of the grade eights, their social teachers, and the librarians’ tireless work and dedication, this project had the students dress up and act like figures from the medieval times, such as John Calvin and Richard the Lionheart. Only this time, instead of a simple presentation like last year, the event became an interactive showcase of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

The grade nines came at 1:15pm with their E-block teachers into the McCord gym and found themselves in the world as it was approximately four centuries ago. The place looked quite medieval with red and brown decorations along its walls.

In one area of the gym, the “Renaissance job fair”, the grade-eights-turned-medieval-figures tried to sell and convince the grade nines to fund-raise for their artwork. In another corner were groups of students performing snippets of their medieval characters’ lives. Nearby was a table full of delightful cups of tea from the middle ages. There was an area dedicated to fun games, including a “two truths and a lie” station, where the grade nines were given three statements about the grade eights’ characters, and guessed which one was a lie. Winners had the privilege to munch on some delicious candy.

In the last section of the gym, the grade nines set their eyes on… Facebook, medieval style! There, the grade eights had set up Facebook pages for their characters. The topics ranged from the Black Plague to medieval birthdays. The place was abuzz with excited chatter and shuffling of shoes as the grade nines moved from area to area and experienced lives very different from theirs. The event came to an eventual close at 2:05pm, and after a closing speech by Mr. Kanavos, the grade nines went to their last block classes. When asked how much she enjoyed “Walk Through Time”, grade nine student Yu-Yang replied, “I liked it! I’ve got tea, some candy…this is life!”

This new and improved version of “Walk Through Time” was enjoyed by both the students and the teachers, and this tradition of Collingwood’s will definitely continue to live on for many years to come.

By: Elisa Sung