Nearly 250 years after the encampment of the Gen. George Washington’s Continental Army at Valley Forge, Indian Creek Elementary fifth-grade students will have the chance to recreate the experience in an outdoor 7-acre lab Feb. 22 for Valley Forge Day.
“This year marks the 22nd year of the annual Valley Forge Day, where students will role-play the soldiers and women camp followers who persevered through the winter months and many hardships that the army faced,” fifth-grade teacher Stephen Hardwick said. “As they march to the encampment, they will do so in five different formations, as they are not unified yet as an army.”
Students will learn the importance of their equipment, marching in formation and the operation of the soldier’s musket. Students also will prepare rations on an open fire and learn the science of firing a cannon.
“Valley Forge Day is a once-in-a lifetime school event for the students. It has continued because the fifth-grade teaching team has been supported by its principals and Supt. Dr. Shawn Smith,” Hardwick said. “Every re-enactor has expertise in some area of this time period and loves to educate the students. They also set the standard for ensuring all activities are following safety protocols that they follow when re-enacting.”
Valley Forge Day stations are staffed by parent volunteers. For details on past Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township Valley Forge Days, visit ltschools.org/blog/february-2017-(1)/valley-forge-day-2017.
