Photo by Alan M. Dumoff/More photos www.ccdphotoalbum.com
Eighth-grade students dressed in homemade period costumes, prepare to dance during the Civil War Ball held at St. Mary School, Vineland, on Jan. 29. The event followed the students’ study of the Civil War.
St. Mary School was transformed into a Civil War-era ballroom on the night of Friday, Jan. 29, as eighth-grade students culminated their study of that piece of American history dressed in homemade period costumes for a formal dinner and dance in the Vineland school’s gym.
Opening with a Grand March that introduced each student, guests at the ball included U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, retired veterans from the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home in Vineland, and members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, which include Cornelia Hancock Auxiliary 10 (women) and General Nathan Lyon Camp 10 (men), local organizations that keep alive the memories and stories of Vineland’s Civil War veterans
For the past few weeks leading up to the ball, eighth-graders learned about the Civil War era during classes in social studies (studying the history of the war); library (reading “Across 5 Aprils,” a 1964 book set during the war); and music class (perfecting the “Tennessee Waltz”). Members of the Lyon Camp also taught students proper etiquette for a formal ball, during the era.