For years, seventh-graders at St. Theresa School in Palatine have had the opportunity to demonstrate what they learned about the Civil War during a history fair at the end of May, and often have heard from a Lincoln impersonator. But not all of them got to share their work with producers from the BBC, who were in Illinois working on a documentary about Abraham Lincoln, and to share their thoughts about the 16th president. A two-man crew visited the school May 28, when the students presented their projects and met with Lincoln impersonator Michael Krebs and Mary Todd Lincoln impersonator Debra Ann Miller. The producers initially contacted Krebs, a premiere Lincoln impersonator who works with the Chicago History Museum, and asked if they could record a performance. He suggested St. Theresa. “We are so excited,” said Pam Wilk, the seventh-grade social studies teacher for the past five years. Her students generally visit Springfield early in May, taking in the Lincoln Home, the Lincoln Presidential Library, Lincoln’s tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery and the state capitol. Then they work on their projects before presenting them at the end of the month, with the Lincoln performance funded by the school’s parent association. After the presentation, several students took their turns sitting under a light, answering questions about Abraham Lincoln. “He united a country that was badly hurt,” Jason Wilhite said, when asked about Lincoln’s accomplishments. “When he said things, everybody listened. He got their attention. Without him, our country would be torn apart,” Lija Hoffman said. Asked what Lincoln did for slaves, Kayla Helsdingen said, “He emancipated them. He wanted a better life for the slaves.” Alex Moyer and Tara Kelly performed a puppet show about Lincoln’s assassination for the producers. “I was really scared,” Alex said, but she was well-prepared. She had already done a term paper on John Wilkes Booth, but learned more when she researched the puppet show. “He was only planning to kidnap Lincoln, but when the North won the war, he changed his mind and decided to kill him,” she said. With plenty of rehearsal, they did a smooth job. The assassination was also the topic of a diorama put together by Katelyn Prieboy and Margaret Geist. “She’s really fascinated by Lincoln, and I’m really fascinated by John Wilkes Booth, so it seemed like a good thing to do,” Margaret said. “He was one of our most influential presidents,” said Katelyn. Other students made trivia games designed to challenge their peers’ knowledge of the Civil War period. Brianna Graffia and Haley Carey made a combination “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy” game. “The questions are really hard,” Brianna said. “Not many people can answer them.” Matthew Dziedzic also did a board game. He said that it was worthwhile to learn about the Civil War “so we know our nation was never actually perfect or peaceful.”