Living in the past

STAUNTON — Each summer, the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum brings elementary school-age students together for three days with the goal of nurturing in them a love of history.

This week, 24 students from schools in Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County are learning about being citizens of the world, said Ellen Abernethy, museum educator.

During this week’s history camp, the students are learning lessons of diplomacy and spent part of Wednesday’s activities recreating the 1920 Olympics.

The students participated in track and field, fencing and archery, all Olympic sports in 1920.

Today, the students will practice the diplomatic skills in which they have been schooled when meeting mock European royalty.

Abernethy said the annual camp is a success if the students “go back to school excited about history.”

R.E. Lee High sophomore Brett Romig called his participation in the Wilson history camp an eye-opener.

“The camp really made me think about Wilson’s time and [made me] curious about World War I,’’ he said.

Romig said he now regularly reads history books and encyclopedias.

And Romig plans to study history when he attends college in a few years.

Campers were charged $60 each to attend this year’s camp, and the camp received sponsorships from three Staunton businesses: Blue Mountain Coffees, The Split Banana and Pufferbellies.

Abernethy said it is not unusual for past history camp participants to stop her when she sees them on the street.

“They tell me the camp was the first time history was fun,’’ she said.