Civil War Surgery at the 2011 Lew Wallace Youth Academy

LEW WALLACE ACADEMY ANNOUNCES OPEN ENROLLMENT

2010 Youth Academy students learn what it was like to
undergo surgery on the Civil War battlefield.

Crawfordsville, Indiana, May 25, 2011—Amanda Wesselmann, Associate Director of the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum and Coordinator of the Lew Wallace Youth Academy, announced today that enrollment into the weeklong day camp, held this year from July 5-9, is now open to the public.  In 2008, the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum won the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the highest honor this country gives to museums, largely because of the impact the Academy made on the Montgomery County community.

The Academy, which is in its seventh year after six tremendously successful seasons, has already enrolled exceptional middle school-aged students from schools and home school organizations from throughout Montgomery County, and only a few positions remain.  The Academy promotes in its students the qualities of leadership, character and lifelong learning that General Lew Wallace embodied throughout his life.  This year, Academy students will investigate new disciplines related to the Wallace legacy: in the day dedicated to “The Food That Lew Knew”, participants will meet a local sheep farmer and her livestock, and discuss the processing of food from farm to table, complete with sampling the types of cuisine Lew Wallace tasted. They will also prepare wool for felting and spinning, and create their own project to take home.

“We chose our wide variety of subjects not to have one specialty for everyone, but to illustrate that each student can excel in many things,” said Wesselmann.  “Our diverse faculty has designed hands-on group activities that will build on students’ interests, and pique new ones.”

2010 Youth Academy students excel in African drumming.

Applicants for the Academy must be entering 6^th through 8^th grade or equivalent and able to attend the entire camp from July 5-9, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  Parents are responsible for arranging transportation to and from the Academy.  The cost to the family is only $25 per child.  Scholarship opportunities are available for families experiencing financial hardship; contact the Museum to make arrangements.

This program is made possible through our generous sponsors, including Tipmont REMC, Union Township Board of Trustees, Sugar Creek Kiwanis, Character Counts, American Legion Byron Cox Post 72, Clements Plumbing, INFBPW/Crawfordsville, Montgomery County Retired Teachers Association, Psi Iota Xi - Gamma Xi Chapter, Teachers Credit Union, Brian Keim, and Roberta Berry.

For registration forms, contact Amanda Wesselmann at 765-362-5769 or awesselmann@ben-hur.com, or stop by the Carriage House Interpretive Center at the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, 200 Wallace Ave., Crawfordsville.  Registration forms and $25 fee are due by June 30.

Serving Others

The final day of the Lew Wallace Youth Academy was filled with the sounds and sights of war! Students spent the morning with Mid-States Living History Association, Inc. at stations portraying a period telegraph, medical care, embalmer, cooking, and finally an interview with the General himself. The day ended with a family filled graduation ceremony where we retired an Indiana flag.

Students trained with the signal corps to send messages across camp.

New this year was a visit to the embalmer.

Several students prepare to assist the surgeon in "amputating" their classmate's leg. They seem VERY pleased to be helping with this task...

Drilling with reproduction "Woodfield" rifles was another highlight of the day.

General Wallace sought information from the students based on what they had learned throughout the camp.

During the graduation ceremony, the students retired a flag by cutting it into strips (so it is no longer a flag) and then placing the strips on a soldier's bayonet to be laid in the fire. They were composed and respectful through the entire ceremony.

After graduation we celebrated the students' accomplishments with a display of their work, cookies and punch. Congratulations, 2010 Academy graduates!

Solving Problems

The fourth day of the Lew Wallace Youth Academy focused on Solving Problems - inventing, altering landscapes, and designing buildings.

Intern Kasey Greer (Indiana Univerisity Class of 2013) gave a behind-the-scenes tour of the Study basement (shown here under the back porch). This was a special treat because the basement is not open to the public.

Volunteer Sharon Kenny led a scavenger hunt with students locating features in the Study's interior. Just how DO you get into the tower?

Dr. James Norton, a scholar of Wallace's inventions, discusses the fishing poles of the 19th century and the improvements that Lew Wallace tried to make with his design.

Surveyor Jim Swift worked with small groups of students to find Lew Wallace's reflecting pool from historic photos of the grounds. Each group consistently found the same place! Plans are in the works to excavate the remains of the reflecting pool in the fall.

Architect Judith Kleine led students in assembling a 3D model of the Study building.

The students' personal studies ranged from sprawling estates to tall towers.

Just as in real life, some buildings could not be built without teamwork! Several students commented that designing a stable structure and taping it together were big challenges - but that also made it fun.

Sharing Stories

The Museum is known as the Home of Ben-Hur, and the grounds once again served as a writing studio. Dr. Helen Hudson led the Academy students through several different activities: outlining a biography of a fictional character named Robin Snow (whose gender and life details each small group determined for themselves), writing an autobiographical anecdote, and interviewing a fellow Academy participant who might someday hit the campaign trail.

Pencils kept moving as students used both their imaginations and memories to write biographies and autobiographies.

Students paired up to interview each other as if they were running for president. Based on some of their professed goals - helping the poor, keeping libraries open, solving environmental problems - we have a few politicians and activists in the group!

The day started and ended with active games that emphasized clear communication. The students clamored to repeat the game "Never Have I Ever", a combination of musical chairs and personal triva.

Creating Art

Following in the tradition of Lew Wallace, Academy students spent the morning painting en plein air. Have you ever noticed that trees are not a solid shade of green or brown? Using acrylic paint, artist Karen Patton instructed the kids on color values and ways to add details that make their artwork more realistic.

Several students worked in groups, sharing ideas and occasionally paint. Getting the right color when mixing the paint proved a challenge for some!

All the budding artists sketched out their paintings before putting brush to canvas.

At the end of the day, Karen Patton held up each student's painting for all to provide their feedback . The kids supported one another's artistic endeavors with compliments and suggestions.

Exploring Other Cultures

The 2010 Lew Wallace Youth Academy had a successful first day of Exploring Other Cultures. Dr. James Makubuya and Sr. Stella Sabina lead activities in speaking Luganda and Swahili, as well as dancing, singing, and playing instruments traditional to the African country of Uganda.

The first day of the Academy ends with a performance of singing and playing instruments.

Students concentrate on learning the bow harp, a new addtion to this year's Academy.

Sr. Stella Sabina demonstrates some fancy footwork from her native Uganda.

Dr. Makubuya from Wabash College instructs students on how to play traditional Ugandan drums. Even students in percussion sections of the school band learned a few things!

Travel Back in Time with General Lew Wallace

CRAWFORDSVILLE, IN, June 19, 2010— The Civil War is a major part of American history that all students have read about. But how often do they truly get to experience the sights and sounds of that tumultuous time?

The scent of campfires and the sounds of Stephen Foster songs will fill the air once again at the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum for its annual Civil War Encampment weekend, July 10 and 11. The Museum’s partnership with the Mid States Living History Association, Inc. allows visitors a rare chance to dig deeper into the experience of life as one of General Wallace’s rank-and-file soldiers.

Mid States, an Indianapolis-based group comprised of living history interpreters from throughout the Midwest, will present several activities on the Museum grounds over the course of the weekend that offer a greater insight into life as a Civil War soldier or civilian. In addition to live demonstrations of camp cooking, construction, medical care, music, telegraphy and artillery training, visitors will have the chance to interact with General Wallace himself, listening in as he reflects on the controversial battle of Shiloh and his innovative defense of Cincinnati.

“Our Encampment weekends are always popular,” said Acting Director Amanda Wesselmann. “It’s an immersive experience that lets visitors really appreciate what General Wallace and his soldiers had to endure during the Civil War, much more so than they could just by reading a book or sitting in history class.”

The live activities include “School of the Piece,” an instructional training exercise for cannoneers that demonstrates the degree of textbook and practical training required to function on the field of battle. Visitors will also be invited to participate in infantry training drills using toy “Woodfield” (wooden) rifles. Demonstrations in Civil War-era medical care, camp construction and cooking will also be held throughout the weekend.

On the evening of July 10, guests can experience the Civil War re-enactors preparing dinner and readying their tents for nightfall on the lush Museum grounds during their twilight tours of the encampment. “It’s a unique view of the Museum—and of Civil War life—that very few visitors get to see,” said Wesselmann.

Visitors are invited to experience the live drama of the Civil War during extended hours on Saturday, July 10 from 2:00 – 9:00 p.m. and during regular hours on Sunday, July 11 from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. at the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum in Crawfordsville. For further information, contact the Museum at 765-362-5769 or email study@ben-hur.com.

Lew Wallace Youth Academy Now Accepting Applications

Change is afoot at the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum. As restoration work begins on Lew Wallace's Study building this summer, the students of this year's Lew Wallace Youth Academy will be learning why such drastic changes must take place.

The week-long Youth Academy, July 6-10, is accepting applications for students entering grades 6, 7 and 8 who have an interest in investigative learning, exploring new cultures and new ideas and making friends. Interested families can contact the Museum at 362-5769 or e-mail: study@ben-hur.com for more information.

Amanda Wesselmann, associate director of the museum, announced today that several changes are being made to the curriculum and faculty of the Youth Academy, which helped the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum win the 2008 National Medal for Museum Service. One new facet of the Academy will be the investigation into the Study Restoration Project, a construction plan over three years in the making that will begin this summer.

Mary Jane Teeters-Eichacker, Curator of Social History at the Indiana State Museum, will speak to Academy students about the importance of preserving historic artifacts and sites. Preservation is the primary motivation for the upcoming restoration of the Study, considering the building was designed by General Wallace himself and normally houses irreplaceable original memorabilia from the General's life. The leaky copper roof of the Study put those artifacts in danger each time it rained.

Other changes to this year's Academy include a Sharing Stories day when the students will write biographies and autobiographies of themselves, something General Wallace did in his Study; and a Creating Art day when students will paint with watercolors outdoors under the direction of Karen Patton, president of the Art League of Montgomery County and frequent exhibitor at the Downtown Crawfordsville Fall Art Show.

"I want to foster the students' artistic interest," said Patton, "So they can see that art is far more than just accuracy."

The Lew Wallace Youth Academy will culminate in the students interacting with the Civil War re-enactors of the Mid States Living History Association, who will be encamped on the Museum grounds during the weekend of July 10-11. In addition to discovering how soldiers encountered daily life during the tumultuous days of the Civil War, Academy students will participate in a flag retirement ceremony, the first of its kind in Academy history. The students will help to "retire" the Indiana state flag that currently flies over the Museum grounds according to protocol, and initiating the new Indiana flag that will wave proudly over the property for years to come.

"We have never had a flag retirement ceremony here at the Museum before," said Wesselmann. "This year's Academy students will learn what goes into retiring a flag in the proper manner, and why the occasion deserves reverence and dignity."

A few student spots are still open in this year's Youth Academy, held July 6-10 on the grounds of the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Students and their families are invited to an elaborate graduation ceremony on Saturday, July 10, attended by the Civil War interpreters of the Mid States Living History Association. Pre-registration for the Academy is required, and fees per family are only $25, although scholarships for families with financial need are available. Registrations for this once-in-a-lifetime experience are due July 4; please call the Museum at 362-5769 or e-mail: study@ben-hur.com to take part.

Company, Halt!

The Lew Wallace Youth Academy wrapped up today with an audience with General Lew Wallace (seated) in his officer's tent. General Wallace and his troops will receive visitors until 9:00 p.m. tonight, and again from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Sunday.

The Academy "recruits" get the feel for their woodfield rifles before the captain drills them.

Tanner, Felipe, and Jordan help the surgeon with an "amputation."

The patient, Sam, said the hardest part of "losing" his leg was that he could hear the sawing but couldn't see what they were cutting!

Pleasure-houses for Their Souls

Angelica creates a 3-D model of her own personal study, complete with observatory, library, and spa.

The blueprint for Javan's study includes a rocket, swimming pool, big-screen TV room with Xbox, and an elevator.

Solving Problems - History Detectives

Jordan and Tanner examine historic photos of the General Lew Wallace Study grounds with Beth Swift, Wabash College archivist, in an effort to locate the reflecting pool that Wallace filled in around 1900.

Dear Mr. Mayor...

Sam and Chaz work on their letters to the Mayor of Crawfordsville. Later,

Dr. Helen Hudson helped them transform that letter into a two-minute speech. Our intern, Kevin Stevens (Wabash Collge, class of 2011), played the part of the mayor as the spokesperson from each small group presented their cases. The mayor will receive their letters - on Lew Wallace Youth Academy letterhead - next week!

Lew Wallace Youth Academy Day Two: Creating and Appreciating Art

academy7809 008, originally uploaded by WallaceStudy.

A Lew Wallace Youth Academy student begins his plein-air painting on the grounds of the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum while Museum Intern Kevin Stevens looks on.

Lew Wallace Youth Academy Day Two: Creating and Appreciating Art

academy7809 003, originally uploaded by WallaceStudy.

A new crop of budding artists tried their hand at plein-air painting today on the grounds of the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, as part of the nationally-recognized Lew Wallace Youth Academy. The Academy, which focuses on a different discipline each day, will run through July 11, 2009.

Lew Wallace Youth Academy is Underway

The first day of the Lew Wallace Youth Academy, Exploring Other Cultures, was a success! The middle-school students jumped into the cultures of Uganda with singing, dancing, and drumming in a traditional African style. Dr. James Makubuya from Wabash College and Sr. Stella Sabina led the activities with enthusiasm, encouraging students and adults alike to try sounding out words in Swahili and coordinating arms and legs in a dance. The kids enjoyed themselves thoroughly:

"I loved dancing, singing, and drumming with my friends."

"It was really cool and I love learning new languages and new dances."

"My experience with other cultures was awesome. I loved the dance and the drumming together. It was great."

At an age that most people consider awkward, the Academy students jumped in and tried something completely new with enthusiasm and vigor, making new friends along the way.

LEW WALLACE ACADEMY ANNOUNCES OPEN ENROLLMENT

Week-long day camp immerses students in Wallace’s life lessons

Crawfordsville, Indiana—Amanda Wesselmann, Acting Director of the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum and Coordinator of this year’s Lew Wallace Youth Academy, announced today that enrollment into the weeklong day camp is now open to the public.

The Academy, which is in its fifth year after four tremendously successful seasons, has already enrolled several exceptional middle school-aged students from schools and home school organizations from throughout Montgomery County, and only a few positions remain! The Academy promotes in its students the qualities of leadership, character and lifelong learning that General Lew Wallace embodied throughout his life. Academy students will explore disciplines close to Wallace’s heart: architecture, art, music, storytelling and serving others.

“We chose our wide variety of subjects not to have one specialty for everyone, but to illustrate that each student can excel in many things,” said Wesselmann. “Our diverse faculty has designed hands-on group activities that will build on students’ interests, and pique new ones.”

“It’s amazing what the Lew Wallace Youth Academy can accomplish in a week’s time,” said Machiel Walther, mother of an Academy graduate. “The skills that our son and many other children have acquired through this program will not only help them to become great leaders, but also positive role models for other children in our community.”

Applicants for the Academy must be entering 6th through 8th grade or equivalent and able to attend the entire camp from July 7-11, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Parents are responsible for arranging transportation to and from the Academy. The cost to the family is only $25 per child. Scholarship opportunities are available for families experiencing financial hardship; contact the Museum to make arrangements.

This program is made possible by the generosity of Character Counts, Crawfordsville Kiwanis, Delta Theta Tau, Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie #1005, Loyal Order of Moose Lodge 6, Montgomery County Extension Homemakers, Montgomery County Retired Teachers Association, Psi Iota Xi, Sugar Creek Kiwanis, teachers from Northridge Middle School, and Barb and Steve Carver.

For registration forms, contact Amanda Wesselmann at 765-362-5769 or awesselmann@ben-hur.com, or stop by the Carriage House Interpretive Center at the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, 200 Wallace Ave., Crawfordsville. Registration forms and $25 fee are due by June 30.