aboutus

Most people's reaction when I tell them about the Renaissance Club is the same as my first
one was: We never did anything this cool in my school!

Starting at the beginning of the year, the WCMS Renaissance Club meets one or more
times per week. Meetings may include planning for upcoming events for fundraisers,
projects (this year we learned how to draw Celtic knotwork, made staffs out of branches cut
from the tree park, and write our names in Norse runes), or guest speakers on various
topics related to our theme for the year. In addition, we're planning the Renaissance Faire
almost from the beginning of the year, with the chess players learning fight scene
choreography, the members of the play planning their staging, costume and working on
their lines, and the dance troupe learning new dances. We also plan several field trips per
year, which in the past have included Cumberland County Playhouse, Middle Tennessee
Renaissance Faire, and the Scottish Highland Games.

The day before our public faire is Faire Day at the school. Students spend the morning
rotating amongst various artisans, tale-tellers, and craftspeople, learning a bit about their
crafts and history. Queen Elizabeth visits us and tells us how she crafts her gorgeously
elaborate costumes herself. In the afternoon the students get to see the results of the hard
work that has been put into the chess match and the play, and spend some time visiting our
vendors. Finally, we have headline act(s) perform for our Closing Ceremonies in the gym,
usually with a visit from the Queen. During the year, the Renaissance Club holds a fashion
show that's meant to help students come up with inexpensive ways to create a costume for
Faire Day, and many students get into the spirit of the day and come to school in costume.

People frequently ask where our costumes come from. The answer is from a few VERY
HARD WORKING moms whose sewing machines have been tireless this year and we offer
them a HUGE thank you -- our costumes are gorgeous!

In all, we are doing our best to foster a love of history in our students, who along the way
are also learning a little bit of sewing, a little bit of dozens crafting, a little bit of dance, a little
bit of ... I'm sure it's impossible to list it all, but it seems that everyone finds their niche. In
addition, we're learning a LOT about the value of hard work and cooperation and
thankfulness to the wonderful community of Sparta and the parents, teachers, staff,
sponsors and volunteers who make all of this possible.