Twelve years ago, Greenville Middle School teacher Judy Tindal wanted to encourage her students to become more hands on with history.

On Wednesday in honor of Memorial Day, about 100 students in the fifth grade class participated in play written by Tindal that illustrates the history of America.

“It’s to help them learn American history, and I think patriotism is not being taught at all anymore and it bothers me,” Tindal said. “I just sat down one year and said I’m going to start with what I think, because I have taught American history. They learn more watching that 47-minute program than their whole year in American history.”

Not only does the program refresh the students’ and parents’ minds of American history, but it also helps instill self-confidence in the students.

“If they can do something that they have never done before and are successful at it, to me, this shows them that they can do something else that they didn’t know that they can do,” Tindal said “That’s what I want them to know – to learn about their country and themselves.”