“They each got in little groups and [had] booths [to present].”    

     This event was not open to outside students and the public. It was organized so that third and fourth period Paideia World History classes could come and watch each other's fairs.   

     This event taught students a lesson about student interaction, research and hosting an event. 

     “We tied in Greece and Rome because that's what [the students] study, and we thought this would be a good time period to do something like this,” Padilla said. 

     While being taught about world history with Padilla, the students learned about public speaking, listening skills and other important tasks with Berry.

     “We just started [learning about] the Renaissance, so this is getting deeper into what it was actually like to be in this time period,” Padilla said. “[It was] also for them to practice their presentation skills.”

     Padilla and Berry planned this event to give the students a new, fun and interactive assignment. It was different from a typical history assignment, which was their goal. 

     “We wanted it to be a bit more hands-on and make it more lifelike and real for the kids,“ Padilla said. ”The Renaissance was an interesting time period and was a revival of the arts and culture.”      

     Leading up to the Renaissance Fair, students spent time working with each other to decide on and plan their parts. Every student had a role or contribution. All of their parts were showcased in the Renaissance Fair. 

     “We tried to cover the different social aspects of what it would be like to be in this time period, but it's up to the students themselves to present,” Padilla said. 

      There was a jousting fight between students, Renaissance food, theater performances and many other revival activities presented at this event. It was a chance for Paideia students to interact with each other, learn about the Renaissance times and plan an interesting event to highlight Renaissance practices, people and activities. 

      Paideia is a class that is more centered around student interaction compared to others, and the Renaissance Fair furthered this. Students were given the opportunity to work together and take the lead on carrying out this event.

     “I think it's important to let students learn from each other, and that's a big part of Paideia,” Padilla said. “It's not being teacher-led all the time; it's giving the students the time to learn and research and really engage in the material.”