BRUNSWICK. Maine — With Confederate flags being lowered everywhere, Harriet Beecher Stowe fifth-graders will likely be re-enacting Pickett’s Charge from the Battle of Gettysburg on Stowe Field for the last time next May, but not because of public outcry.
Principal Jean Skorapa said changes in social studies curriculum will end the re-enactment which involved rifles, encampments and cannons.
“Our fifth-graders study the Civil War period at length in the spring,” Skorapa said. “The Civil War re-enactment is a culminating event for their in-depth study.”
Gen. Joshua Chamberlain, whose home still stands on Maine Street, led the 20th Maine in defending Cemetery Ridge against Gen. George Pickett’s desperate attack that led to some 10,450 casualties.
Fifth-graders today have been born into and lived every day of their lives in a country at war. Teaching young children about the Civil War, or any war, is a daunting process.
“Our teachers are very sensitive to share information with students in such a way that they are not promoting war, but helping students understand why it occurred and how it impacted people and our nation as a whole,” Skorapa said.
The Civil War curriculum for the fifth-graders includes creating period clothing, keeping journals of both Confederate and Union soldiers, and learning about music and culture of the North and South. Students also learn about the war’s impact on daily life for both sides, as well as the issues and events leading up to the schism.
Skorapa said due to the summer break, fifth grade teachers have not yet had the opportunity to discuss the national news regarding the Confederate flag.