Students at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School on Danbury Road will be able to “meet” a Civil War soldier from Wilton during a re-enactment from noon to 2 on Friday, April 1. The rain date is April 8.
Capt. Victor Scalora, a prominent re-enactor with the Second Connecticut Regiment of Volunteers Heavy Artillery, will portray a soldier from Wilton and conduct a hands-on, interactive history workshop with the entire student body.
Throughout the presentation, students will learn what it was like to be a Union soldier in the Civil War, fighting far from home for liberty, justice and unity.
After listening to a brief lesson about 1860s Connecticut and the gallantry of the 17th Connecticut Regiment at the Battle of Gettysburg — the corps to which Fairfield County soldiers belonged — the students will get a firsthand experience of what it was like to be there.
Interactive experiences will include participating in a color guard and artillery drill exercises, trying on the clothing of a Union soldier, camping under a military tent, and even tasting a soldier’s rations.
One of the planned event highlights will be two black-powder firings of a real Civil War era replica musket.
The visit from Scalora is part of Our Lady of Fatima’s commitment to bring history to life for its students.
Earlier this year, middle school students participated in the Living History Museum by researching and portraying important historical figures.
“These events and learning experiences are an important part of our middle school curriculum and demonstrate the emphasis Fatima places on students grasping a real understanding of history,” said middle school social studies teacher Caitlin Schneider, who has created a series of educational workshops in which eighth grade students teach the lower grades about the Civil War.
The historical re-enactment also supports the school’s “service above self” motto.
“Our goal is to instill in students the notion of History as Heritage,” said Schneider, “that they are the beneficiaries of a rich legacy afforded to them by the noble and sacrificial selflessness of those who have come before.”