C.P. Blakely School is continuing on an 18-year tradition that families in Sylvan Lake take with them for the rest of their lives.
Medieval Night, an evening of middle-age theme events and dining, is the coup de grace event of the Grade 5’s unit Medieval Times and invites families to share in their students’ learning.
“Tonight is a culminating event of our Medieval Times unit,” Principal Anne Frey said. “The students have been working for the last two and a half months learning about Medieval Times traditions and activities. Now is the chance to play and show mom and dad what they have been learning.”
Grade 5 teacher Shandra Clark, who worked alongside the project lead and Grade 5 teacher Regan Lynn, were pleased to see the students being able to show off the considerable amount of work they have done.
“They have put a lot of hard work into this and it is the ending of that,” she said, adding this night is one that Lakers take with them forever.
“They get to have fun and be excited and this is something they will remember for the rest of their lives,” Clark said. “I was at the grocery store the other day and talked to a girl who was 16. I told her I was going to Medieval Night and she said, ‘Oh yeah I remember that’. The lady behind us then said, ‘Oh yeah that is the best night’. People remember this experience and it means a lot to the parents and kids.”
Frey was pleased to see so much family and community support come out for the event.
“It is absolutely wonderful and it is something that everyone in Grade 5 looks forward too,” Frey said. “All the little brothers and sisters look forward to Medieval Times in Grade 5 - it is a tradition and it is always exciting when we can have families share in the learning of our kids. The kids are always so excited to share with mom and dad what they know and have learned.”
The school’s staff, in turn, loves being able to show the effort of their students.
“We always love celebrating our students and bringing in the community to help us do that,” Frey added.
Not only is the event a fantastic community and family night, but it also fits snugly into the Grade 5 curriculum.
“This is part of our learning and language arts so this branches into fairy tales and creative writing,” Frey said. “It is a neat way to learn about writing paragraphs, writing stories, doing research - it is a neat theme to introduce all of those elements into the curriculum.”
She added, “The kids really enjoy the dress up aspect and the performing as well.”
Clark was pleased to see the team building aspects of the event.
“It really builds the Grade 5 culture and is a great way for the kids to meet all the different teachers and learn their teaching styles,” Clark said.
“It is a nice integrated event that includes language, dance, drama and art,” Frey said. “Mr. Lynn has done an amazing job being the lead teacher for our Medieval Times unit.”
reporter@sylvanlakenews.com