History wasn’t confined to textbooks at Jim Thorpe High School on Monday. Students were transported back in time thanks to a unique learning experience featuring Civil War reenactors and artifacts.

Chris Holub, a history teacher at the school and a reenactor himself for 26 years, spearheaded the event.

“We put together an encampment today,” Holub said. “We had a firing demonstration and some Civil War-era music played. We talked with the students about uniforms and different things like that.”

Holub, who teaches a Civil War elective, emphasized the importance of experiential learning.

“You can’t match the experience of students holding 150-year-old items,” he said. Jim Vincent, a collector who brought artifacts spanning the Civil War era, from swords and photos to sunglasses and even period food, echoed this sentiment.

“They really get into it,” Vincent said of the students. “We’re seeing some students here today who are actually disappointed when they have to go back to class.”

The disappointment speaks volumes about the impact of the event.

“This is kind of my first real exposure to the Civil War,” sophomore Gabriella Cera said. “When students open up their minds to look into educational opportunities, specifically with history, they can experience things from a different perspective.”

Madison Freeby, Jim Thorpe history club president, shared Cera’s enthusiasm.

“We didn’t really have anything like this,” she said, referring to her freshman and sophomore years.

Freeby highlighted the value of learning outside the traditional classroom setting.

“It’s a good opportunity for students to learn without sitting in a classroom setting where they might get bored,” she said.

Freeby, like Cera, found the artifacts particularly engaging.

“I really like looking at the old pictures and seeing what the soldiers wore back then,” she said.

The impact extended beyond personal interest. Freeby expressed hope that her classmates gained a deeper understanding of the war.

“A lot of us didn’t understand the circumstances and conditions and now we have a better idea,” she said.

The event, Holub said, wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the school administration.

“It is pretty rare that you have an administration that lets you do this,” he added. “I can’t say enough about the principal and superintendent for letting us do this. History is something these kids need to experience. You can’t talk about a war without guns and swords and casualties that kind of get washed out sometimes. We are covering all sides.”