(This article, reprinted with permission and featuring the Cold War summer school class, appeared in The Columbus Dispatch on July 27, 2010) 

Summer students fight Cold War in history camp

Class has time to delve deeper into topics just skimmed during the year

Bexley High School teacher Michael Featherstone explains to his Cold War class that in nuclear war, there are no winners. During his two-week history camp, students divide into teams and act out the roles of the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

Some teenagers spend their summer days at football camp. Others enjoy painting or photography classes.

In Bexley, a few students are spending the week trying to keep Soviets from launching a nuclear attack while others are working to take down the United States with information gathered by KGB spies.

The Berlin Wall fell before they were born, but teenagers in a two-week Bexley High School history camp are learning that this month's spy swap isn't the only legacy of the Cold War.

"You think of it as a relic," said Anna Reman, 16. "It's kind of like, 'Russian spies? Oh, that actually happened.'"

During the school year, it's hard to convey the fear that enveloped the world during the Cold War, said Michael Featherstone, who teaches the for-credit summer class.

There's barely time in regular classes to breeze through the Cuban missile crisis, let alone explain the confrontations in Afghanistan, Iran, Korea and so much of the Third World, where leaders are still trying to untangle messes left behind.

"The first time I taught it, I remember thinking, 'There's so much more to the Cold War than this,'" Featherstone said. "Understanding the Cold War is important for understanding the world today."

So Featherstone threw together Cold War board games, videos, notes and dramatic music to create an immersive experience. The students role-play, and sometimes their decisions alter the course of history.

Yesterday, students worked through riots in South Africa, a country better known to teens today as this year's World Cup host.

In the 1970s, the Soviets had pledged to support the majority blacks, and the United States had sided with the white rulers.

Nate Taylor, left, and Mack Glasgow play the part of Soviets during a Cold War lesson at a two-week history camp at Bexley High School.

Students said it was awkward seeing that Americans weren't always the good guys from modern points of view.

The two sides arranged chips on maps to show the ever-changing distribution of power.
A projection mapping nuclear-test sites lit the wall next to a poster about how to properly put on a gas mask.

The students argued about propaganda leaflets and troop mobilization. How would their actions be perceived by neutral states, allies, enemies and the press? Should an operation be overt or covert? What if the enemy called their bluff?

The Americans spent 30 minutes arguing about what to call their troops. They went with "military defensive force" instead of "peacekeeping force" to send a stronger message.

"Our job is to go in there and say, 'We're here and we mean business,'" said Sam Kastan, 16, trying to rally the American side. "'Don't mess with us, Soviets. If you try anything sneaky, South Africa isn't standing alone.'"

Featherstone rushed into the room next door, yanking down a wall map and pointing to Mozambique. The United States was sending in troops, he told the communist team.

The Soviets groaned in frustration.

One of the scariest lessons of the day was how difficult it can be to read an enemy, the students said.
As the standoff escalated, the U.S. students operated on the assumption that neither side would turn to violence. In the classroom next door, the Soviets were discussing a nuclear strategy. They decided not to mess with nukes by a 3-2 vote.

Each time Featherstone walked out of the room, the Soviets all wondered aloud how badly events might escalate.

"This is going to be interesting," said Mack Glasgow, 16, tipping back his military cap. "It's been a good time knowing you all - crazy dreams and funny hats."

The students seemed pretty involved.

Kastan had to skip the end of football conditioning to make it to class on time, but he said it was worth it.

"I get a lot of questions from my friends about what I'm doing here in the middle of summer," he said. "But it's a blast, no pun intended."

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