Wedgood Elementary 5th grade students learn what life was like in the calvary
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP - Wedgwood Elementary School fifth-graders made their way out to the field next to the school on May 26, when they saw a different sight. Sitting there, near the school driveway, was a large tent, a covered table and a Confederate flag stuck into the ground. No, this wasn't any kind of crazy takeover. The fifth-graders were about to take part in an interactive presentation on the Civil War.
Wedgwood Elementary School fifth-graders in Donna McGough's class pose for a photo with Capt. Steve Sonnon in his tent after his Civil War presentation. Inside the tent was Capt. Steve Sonnon, who takes part in serious reenactments across the region and is associated with Washington Township's Old Stone House. Sonnon, dressed in his wool, Confederate uniform, portrayed a cavalryman from the 2nd Maryland Cavalry CSA, Gilmor's Partisan Rangers.
Sonnon gave the students a little "inside information" about the major battles of the Civil War, including a large program about Gettysburg. He also brought many weapons, from rifles to bayonets and more, to show the students what life was like in the cavalry.
The Civil War is a key part of the fifth-grade social studies curriculum, so Capt. Sonnon's visit was timed nicely.