George D’anton rises from the witness stand, and paces slowly towards the defense attorney. “How dare you bring my wife and children into this! I have worked hard to make sure we are not put in that situation. I live in the streets where people are starving, I see the heads on spikes!” The jurors and other witnesses murmur with surprise at the Frenchman’s unbridled show of emotion. But this wasn’t a courtroom in 1790s France. It was a Mid-Pen classroom, and the Revolution was in full swing.

In Alan Cameron’s World History senior elective, history doesn’t just stay on the page: it walks, speaks, argues, objects, and occasionally wears powdered wigs. Each year, the class stages a full reenactment of the trial of King Louis XVI of France and his wife, Marie Antoinette, transforming two class periods into a live courtroom drama. This project is not only fun for the students involved, but a prime example of how immersive educational experiences can leave students with a deeper, more lasting understanding of the history they’re learning.

All 17 of the senior elective students took on a role, stepping into character with remarkable commitment. The cast included everyone from King Louis XVI himself, referred to pointedly by the prosecution as “Citizen Louis Capet,” to Marie Antoinette, to revolutionary firebrands like Maximilien Robespierre and Jean-Paul Marat. Students arrived in costume, donning suits, robes, high socks, dresses, crowns, and era-appropriate wigs that made the classroom feel like a Parisian tribunal in 1793.

Across the two-day trial, arguments flew as passionately as they did in the Revolution itself. Whether portraying a haughty businessman, a prideful Jacobin, or an unflappable defense attorney, each student delivered their lines with full fervor, weaving historical research, rhetorical strategy, and pure dramatic flair into their performances.

Meanwhile, staffulty and students on free periods served as the jury, listening intently to testimonies, weighing evidence, and ultimately carrying the burden of deciding the King and Queen’s fate. After careful deliberation, the jury returned a verdict that echoed history: both Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were found guilty of treason.

As the courtroom packed up and the wigs came off, one lesson remained clear. Projects like this trial don’t just teach historical facts. They bring history to life. By stepping into the shoes of the people who shaped the past, students walk away with a richer, more intuitive grasp of the events they study. And that, year after year, is the real victory of this tradition.