Middle School seventh graders transformed the school auditorium into a dynamic recreation of the Second Continental Congress during the annual Radicals and Tories simulation. Dressed in period costumes, the students were divided into delegations and delivered speeches that captured the intense debates and critical decision-making of the Revolutionary era and truly captured the spirit of 1776.  

The Radicals, or Patriots, clearly debated their reasons for independence, citing the Townshend Acts in which British law taxed imports to raise revenue from the American colonies, to assert authority and to fund Britian’s administration, thus fueling resentment and phrase “Taxation without Representation.” The Tories, or Loyalists, argued the importance of remaining loyal to the British Crown. After much passionate discourse and a delegate roll call, the simulation culminated in an historic moment when students voted in favor of independence – echoing the momentous choice made by the original delegates in 1716. 

Social studies teacher Danielle Senneca explained that this historical simulation empowered the students to understand the complexities of political decision-making and the weight of this transformative moment in U.S. history. "Watching students engage with history in such a meaningful way never gets old," Ms. Senneca. "They're not just memorizing facts, they're walking in the shoes of the people who shaped our nation, and that makes all the difference in their understanding."