Seventh-grade students were transformed into noblemen, countrymen and young maidens for the day as they participated in a medieval fair on April 23 at Raymond J. Fisher Middle School. The ninth annual fair was an extension of topics seventh-graders at Fisher study during history classes and English classes related to the medieval/Renaissance period, according to history teacher and department chairman Barry Sienbenthall.

For extra credit, students brought history to life, dressing to fit the day's theme with popular costumes such as those of jesters, peasants, maidens, kings, queens, knights and monks.

"It really does give them an appreciation for what they are studying," said parent volunteer Heather Wardenburg.

The falconry assembly and workshop including live feathered creatures like an owl and falcon were seventh-grader Allie Evans' favorite part of the fair, since the birds flew right over her head during the assembly. Students Jesse Quirazco, Victor Sanchez and Ashcon Nejad enjoyed outdoor games like jousting, javelin throwing, tug of war, balancing and sack races.

"It's just more active and fun, instead of a slide lecture in class," said seventh-grader Ian Craig, playing chess with his classmate, Jared Bernstein, at the indoor games station. "It's more hands-on."

Teachers and guest speakers held sessions for students on armor, falconry, fencing, floral headpieces, heraldry, illuminations and calligraphy, indoor and outdoor games, stained-glass making, stitchery, storytelling, tin can papermaking and tinsmithing.

Twins Liliya and Olga Kuzmina and Audrey Allen, all 13 years old, learned that illuminated pages with decorative borders and lettering used during medieval times were more difficult to create than today's pages with today's penmanship.

"It's more detailed and harder," said Liliya, experimenting with the calligraphy by writing her name. "They wrote whole stories like this in books."