History's Greats Have a Party

Story by: Kathy Hossler   

              Photos by: Vanessa Baxley                 

Entering the room, what does one see? Queen Elizabeth I, Machiavelli, Mary Wollstoncraft, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Catherine the Great, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Louis XVI, de Stael, and Napoleon! These great thinkers and leaders are brought to life through the students of Kitty Janousky’s Advanced Placement European History class. The students share their character’s thoughts, defending their beliefs, and arguing against others at “a le Salon de Madame Janousky” (Mrs. Janousky’s Salon). The topics of heated debates range from government to religion to women’s rights and to the people.  However, much laughter goes around too. For instance, the digging of Tim Brigg’s character, King Louis XVI of France, who got beheaded or the well-acted arrogance of Ryan Oltz as Machiavelli.

Teacher and creator of her sixth salon held, Kitty Janousky, states, “My favorite part about these salons is the first day when we get together and everyone is in costume and excited, but also anxious to share.” Student, Jake Radford, also says of the salon, “I thought it was a very interesting way to learn about the history of Europe and the people that have made its history so rich.” Kitty Janousky’s salon was indeed a hit with the students as they got to interactively learn and better understand European history as well as some of its leading figures. To view more photos of the Salon, click here: History's Greats Have a Party