World War II Days offers interactive experience for students

Last month, Rockpile Museum employees and community volunteers came together to create a memorable day for Campbell County’s sixth-graders, as they took a trip literally to Cam-plex and figuratively to World War II.

The annual World War II Days event walked students through different experiences soldiers and women at home experienced during the war.

The day included more emotional aspects, like when students were tasked with writing a letter home to their assigned veteran’s family, even if their veteran never made it home.

Other parts of the day were more competitive, like the assembly line, where students learned in a small way what working in mass production may have felt like for women at home.

Quizzical eyes looked at the bites of SPAM laid out for taste-testing, while volunteers detailed the rise of the canned goods industry. Some students described the SPAM and Chef Boyardee snack bites as "mid."

Students also took time to learn about how radios impacted the war effort, at the time a relatively new and progressing technology. Turns out, they weren’t always as easy to use as they are now!

Finally, sixth-graders took on the unknown in the Entry into the Service station. In the room, students learned why soldiers sported military buzz cuts and wore uniforms before testing their ability to march as one cohesive unit. Disclaimer: It’s not as simple as it sounds.

Thank you to all of the volunteers, employees, bus drivers and others who played a part in keeping history alive for Campbell County students in a uniquely hands-on way.