It was a typical Monday morning for Cannon Falls High School(CFHS) students. For the students in Humanities, however, it was another opportunity to travel in time to a past era. Humanities is a class offered at CFHS that focuses on the evolution of human culture in multiple parts of the world, by looking at literature and art. It is taught by two teachers; English teacher Mrs. Wingett, and art teacher Mrs. Hernke. Starting this year, the Humanities class has been time-traveling to teach the class more effectively. Having the students experience the cultures themselves, allows them to understand the material better. To travel, they use a familiar method that some might recognize.

Before the summer ended, Mrs. Wingett bought a bus that can time travel. She won’t disclose how much it was, but it’s theorized to be in the millions. The bus has no limit on how far back it can go in time, or where it can go. It’s very similar to the bus in the classic TV show, The Magic School Bus. That means the Humanities teachers can travel anywhere they desire and at any location. Mrs. Wingett drives the bus, while Mrs. Hernke keeps track of body count, ensuring no one gets left behind. According to Mrs. Hernke, the body count system was initially rusty, but later fixed and is now 100% effective. “We did have an incident where a student got lost and we didn’t notice till much later. We later found the student stuck in the Hagia Sophia. Since then, we haven’t lost another student.” Before students could take Humanities, they had to have a permission slip signed by their guardian. This was both for consent and to make students aware of what they were getting themselves into. Neither Mrs. Hernke nor Mrs. Wingett would have started the time travel method if its benefits weren’t as good as they are.

Having the Humanities students travel in time, makes the class more memorable and easier for the students. For most students, seeing something visually helps them understand what they are learning. Mrs. Wingett explains the process and how it helps. “We start the class period heading into the bus and doing body count. Then, I drive us to our location, and we have our lecture there. For example, when we taught Ancient China, Mrs. Hernke taught the students about the Great Wall of China, while standing on the wall herself. Both I and Mrs. Hernke have seen this work, as the students have gotten much better test scores than in previous years. It truly enhances our class.” It also allows students to participate in history. For example, Thomas Coyle, a Cannon Falls senior,  would never have become an Egyptian pharaoh, if it wasn’t for Humanities. Neither would they have had the opportunity to quite literally be inside the Trojan Horse. There have been some exciting stories that the Humanities students have experienced as a result of the time travel method. 

Fighting in the coliseum had always been on Mrs. Wingett’s bucket list. Now, she can finally cross it off. The students had a day dedicated to watching Mrs. Wingett fighting as a coliseum gladiator. Knowing the Roman fighting tactics, the English teacher easily won. That wasn’t the only thing the Humanities class experienced, however. Noelle Swenson, a junior, got to place the lantern on the Florence Duomo, while another student, Grace Parks, traveled in one of Odysseus’s ships. Mrs. Hernke also did her fair share of adventures. Participating in designing the terracotta warriors, she created one to look like herself. During one of the lectures, the Humanities class was interrupted by a Minoan army and had to end class early. The Humanities class has had its fair share of events. Thankfully, no matter the action the students or teachers take, it doesn’t affect history. This means the class can continue as they please, without destroying the past.

Humanities has been a class offered at Cannon Falls High School for a long time. To make the events more memorable, the class now time travels to the location they learn about. So now, a typical Monday morning is actually quite fun for Humanities students. The efforts both Mrs. Hernke and Mrs. Wingett have put into the class have proven to work, with evidence of increasing test results. The students also get to have their own stories and experience the world evolve themselves. Both teachers plan to continue the time traveling for future years. Although Humanities is a unique class alone, they hope the time travel will make students love it even more. Any junior and senior at Cannon Falls High School, can take Humanities when it is available and experience the journey themselves. Hilari Palodichuck, a Humanities junior, just has a tiny warning for future students, which is to “watch out for the lions.”