HOHENFELS, Germany -- As the gates slid open, a tall woman in multi-hued robes stepped elegantly forward, raising her hand in welcome.
"Greetings, travelers. I am the Oracle," she said.
Soldiers in segmented armor and peaked helmets snapped to attention. A centurion cried, "Wedge Formation," and the soldiers slid seamlessly into place.
"Shaped like an arrow, this formation is used to pierce an enemy line," The centurion barked. "Turtle formation!"
Shields clashed as the soldiers crated a protective shell around themselves, shields overlapping alongside and overhead. After several more demonstrations, the soldiers melted back to their positions along the wall as the Oracle stepped forward again.
"Welcome to Rome."
Though this may sound like the opening of a new Hollywood blockbuster, in reality, this is how visitors were greeted as they entered the Hohenfels Elementary School's sixth grade Roman Carnival, recently.
Each year, the sixth grade social studies class studies the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome, and this year teacher Patricia Hannon decided to try something different.
"The genesis of this project was discussion with my friend and fellow educator, Kathryn Iacampo," said Hannon. "She shared pictures, games, costume ideas and her rich knowledge of ancient Roman sites to help build the project. Through collaboration, it was decided to try a completely student-lead Roman Carnival experience."
The display included a Roman market where costumed "merchants" hawked their wares beneath colorful awnings while a sparkling "fountain of youth" bubbled in the background.
"(The students) have set up traditional stalls that they anticipate they would have found in the market place," said sixth-grade teacher Sarah Utter.
Visiting second-graders could craft their own jewelry, study the constellations, create paper flowers or learn to pick a lock. At one booth, visitors could decorate a paper shield while three sixth-graders explained what materials were used in the originals and how a centurion might wield it in battle.
At another booth, the "goddess Fortuna," also known as Brooklyn Moore, offered guests a glimpse of their future.
"They would open a sheep and see by the way the guts looked what your future would be," Moore said, presenting a wool covered bag. Inside, through a mass of spaghetti noodles and tomato sauce, scraps of paper informed visitors of a fun future.
Another room offered students the chance to create their own helmets or masks, weave a paper basket, try on a toga and even launch marshmallows with a catapult.
The carnival was by no means all fun and games. The children knew their subject and were delighted to share their knowledge.
Joseph Rogers showed pictures from his family's recent trip to Rome, expounding on the gladiatorial games at the Coliseum, Roman customs, food and architecture.
"The Pantheon is the biggest dome in the world, even though it's 2000 years old," Rogers said.
Rebecca Moise gave an overview of Roman society and drew comparisons between ancient times and today.
"Rome was good at conquering new lands, and they brought back a lot of slaves," she explained. "But then they used the slaves for a lot of the jobs that used to be paid and so the plebeians lost their jobs and got poorer while the rich got richer."
"It's fascinating to learn about different cultures," Moise added. "I was born in Haiti and I am still finding America fascinating for all the stuff you learn."
Students handed out cups of a fruit "Ambrosia" and demonstrated a homemade aqueduct. Drawings of Roman leaders and ancient gods lined the walls.
"Yesterday, they decided to cover the walls and used a projector to trace the images," said Jessica Fedorisin, parent liaison. "All of this has been all of their heart and souls going into it. They're very creative, and I've been learning so much from them."
Hannon said the idea was for the sixth grade to give back to the school.
"We talked a lot about what would really 'wow' a second grader," she said. "That's where we started and they ran with it. This is entirely student-led; this all came out of their imaginations.
"They did their research, studied hard, and I'm really proud of them."
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