ONEONTA _ Civil War history came alive as middle-school students took roles as abolitionists or slaves during a workshop Thursday.
``Dear Mom and Dad, I finally escaped to Canada,'' Brandon Sprague, 12, a seventh-grader, wrote in a letter, taking the perspective of a slave who ventured northward along the Underground Railroad to freedom.
He told of being bitten by a dog during his flight to freedom. But workshop presenters questioned how realistic it would be to be bitten without being caught by slaveholders.
The letter-writing exercise was part of the Minds On program titled ``Underground Railroad to Civil Rights'' at the State University College at Oneonta, which was attended by 40 students. Fifty other students attended two other programs at the Foothills Performing Arts Center on Market Street.
Greg Artzner and Terry Leonino, appearing as Magpie!, sang and led discussions and activities based on historical texts in SUNY Oneonta's Morris Conference Center. Student projects required collaboration to emphasize that freedom and civil-rights advances are much the result of community efforts, they said.
During lunch, seventh-graders from Schenevus Central School said the workshop workshop enhanced previous lessons about the Civil War.
They learned code words used by slaves to talk or write about their lives. ``Gospel train'' referred to the Underground Railroad, ``fly'' referred to freedom and ``heaven'' referred to Canada.
The Underground Railroad was the general name for efforts and informal networks to assist slaves in their escape from the South, sometimes to Canada.
Brett Dexter, 13, said the songs performed made him sad when they told of slaves caught trying to escape, but happy when they reached freedom.
Steve Wilson, 12, said the program illustrated the difficulties of life as a slave and the fight for freedom.
The Underground Program was ``cool,'' Sprague said.
The workshops are important because they give motivated students opportunities to learn in challenging and interactive settings, said Linda Borock, Minds On director.
Minds On is part of the Rensselaerville Institute, a think tank.
Students attending Thursday sessions were from Laurens, Charlotte Valley, Jefferson and Schenevus schools. Borock said the workshops marked the fifth Minds On visit to Oneonta.
Local programs are supported by the A. Lindsey and Olive B. O'Connor Foundation and the Kansas City Brown Foundation, Borock said, and are eligible for aid through boards of cooperative educational services.
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