CHRISTINA EICHELKRAUT / PVT Rosalynd Darling was the Hobbit at Mt. Charleston Elementary's monthly assembly Monday. CHRISTINA EICHELKRAUT / PVT Civil War re-enactor Walt Rubio shows fifth graders at Mt. Charleston Elementary school how officers in the Confederate Army during the Civil War used sabers to guide troops during battle. Advertisement

It's good to be a student at Mt. Charleston Elementary School.

The kids were treated to a special showing of the play "The Hobbit" last Monday.

The 45-minute drama, based on the classic novel of the same name by J.R.R. Tolkien, was put on by Rosalynd Darling and Aina Rapoza, two actors of the Traveling Lantern Theatre Co.

Darling played the home-loving hobbit while Rapoza appeared alternately as Gollum, Gandolph, and various other characters from the play.

And while the kids alternately laughed and shrieked or fell into a slightly worried silence of concern about the hero, the teachers had a chance to meet and catch up on some in-service work.

But the fun wasn't over for the fifth-graders, who all filed into the multi-purpose room again on Wednesday and were greeted by a Civil War Confederate soldier, Major White and his wife, all decked out in period clothing and standing in front of a rack of period firearms.

Well, actually it was Walt Rubio and his wife, Mary, both of whom are Civil War re-enactors.

Rubio, who admits he wasn't very interested in history when he was a student, said he fell into Civil War re-enactments "quite by accident" when he was a scoutmaster in the Boy Scouts and went to a "battle."

Sixteen years later, Rubio and his whole family, including his two sons and daughter, have all stepped into history.

Although he hasn't taken part in a re-enactment for a number of years now, he stood before the Mt. Charleston fifth graders fully dressed as a Major White of the 8th Louisiana Infantry, every detail a glimpse into the past, right down to the belt buckle emblazoned with a pelican the Louisiana state bird.

Rubio pulled hardtack -- the standard hard cracker ration for soldiers of the time -- out of his pack and explained to the students how real coffee was so scarce for Confederate students they would trade tobacco for it. He unsheathed a saber and showed them how officers would use it to direct troops in the midst of battle.

(The 8th Louisiana fought in Robert E. Lee's army throughout the Civil War, taking part in most of the major battles from 1861 until the surrender at Appomattox.)

Turning to the various flags that were hung behind him, he explained the difference between a battle flag and a regulation flag, and debunked many of the myths surrounding what is popularly thought of as the Confederate flag today.

Mary addressed the students next, showing the classes her petticoats and explaining how women couldn't show an inch of skin back in the 19th century -- at least until the evening.

And just like the majority of women back then, Mary explained that she had sewn every stitch of clothing she and her husband wore.

Once the lesson was over, the kids all got to check out the various period the Rubios brought, including Civil War muskets, money, shoes and other uniforms parts.