Middle School of the Kennebunks: Revolutionary dining with learning on the menu

KENNEBUNK, Maine — You could feel the excitement in the classroom as students prepared for the grand opening of their new “restaurant,” Redcoats & Revolutions Tavern and Grill, at the Middle School of the Kennebunks on Thursday, Feb. 2.

A sign at the entrance of the mock-eatery promised “food and fun – but without the taxes.” You know how our Founding Fathers were about those taxes.

That afternoon, eighth-graders taking Ben Fogg’s and Dan Sherman’s history courses bustled about in both teachers’ classrooms, draping red and blue streamers in doorways and along walls.

Such adorning seemed like the last task on their decorating to-do list, as everything else about the “restaurant” seemed in place for the “diners” they were expected to serve the next day. In Fogg’s classroom, tables were set with white cloths, American-flag bunting and candles. The walls were filled with posters and pictures packed with facts about the American Revolution in the late 1700s. A large screen stood ready to show a steady loop of fireworks exploding via YouTube.

And in Sherman’s classroom, there was the “kitchen,” everything the students would need to “serve” their guests – students, teachers, parents, and RSU 21 administrators – while Redcoats & Revolutions was open all day on Friday, Feb. 3.

To be sure, the patrons on Friday were served food as they gathered around the “dining room” tables. The history students served everything from donuts to cupcakes, and bottles of water and seltzer, to boot.

Kennebunk named safest community in ME:Police chief explains why

But such treats were not on the menu. Instead, these were: The Stamp Act of 1765. John Locke: Natural Rights. Sons and Daughters of Liberty. Common Sense. The Boston Tea Party.

You know when you go to a restaurant, and the server asks you if he or she can tell you about that day’s specials?  That’s what the students did when they approached the diners. They mentioned an item or two on the “menu,” providing a brief summary of a moment or person from the American Revolution.

“We pride ourselves on our revolutionary service,” Fogg said.

Such information was divided into sections, just as menus typically are. For example, “Appetizers” included the aforementioned Stamp Act, but also the Sugar Act of 1764, the Quartering Act of 1765, and the Townshend Acts of 1767. “Soup and Salad” offerings included “Common Sense,” the book by Thomas Paine. Diners who wished to add a protein to their "meal" could choose from either the Boston Massacre or the Boston Tea Party.

And among the selections on tap? Why, Sam Adams, of course.

A revolutionary idea for the classroom

Fogg works a side job at a restaurant in Yarmouth, and it was there that Redcoats & Revolutions first popped into his head. He came up with the plan to stage a mock tavern and grill with students as a way to be creative and break free from giving conventional lessons on the American Revolution to his students. Sherman was all-in when Fogg approached him with the idea.

Fogg said it is his job to teach students history but also to prepare them for the world that awaits them, once they are finished with school. Plunging his students into a restaurant setting, where they would assume all the responsibilities of preparing "meals” and engaging with “patrons,” helps accomplish just that, he said.

“My job is to help them get a job one day,” he said.

His students seem to agree. Charlotte Johnson, for example, said she felt more engaged in this history project than she usually does with her other courses.

“I’ve enjoyed it a lot,” she said. “I feel like I learned more than I usually do because they made it super fun. And there was a point to it – we could do something fun that not a lot of people get to do all the time.”

Pilot House: Public to weigh in on new restaurant, relocating Spirit of Massachusetts ship

Clare Haley said she is not usually good when it comes to giving presentations in front of a classroom because public speaking scares her. But the format of the Redcoats & Revolutions restaurant was making a difference for her, she said, because it was interactive and engaging with others. And the fact that the “patrons” were parents and peers was making everything feel normal.

“You have the confidence to talk with other people,” she said.

Sofia Sharood said Fogg and Sherman were helpful and supportive throughout the whole process of teaching them about the American Revolution and setting up the restaurant and getting ready to assume their roles when serving the patrons. She said both teachers were helpful when students have had questions or were feeling uneasy about certain aspects of the project.

Johnson echoed Fogg’s notion that such a project will help students not just learn about the history of their nation, but prepare them for life, too.

“We could find a way to have a life lesson in learning how to talk and communicate with adults, which is like one of the most important life lessons,” she said.

Kennebunkport development:13 new homes pitched for forested area off Mills Road

And how about what they all have learned about the war that brought America its independence and the people who fought it? Haley was quick with an answer.

“The colonists worked together to stand up for what was right for them and what would work for them,” she said.

Often teachers come up with ideas and wonder if they are connecting with their students. As he swept the floor of his classroom on Feb. 2, doing his part to get the “kitchen” ready for the next day, Sherman confidently said students were enjoying the project.

“We’re trying to give them an authentic experience with engaging with people,” Sherman later said. “It’s really about interacting with people in a genuine way. The content is kind of a bonus.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Middle School of the Kennebunks teaches through mock-restaurant