Not many can say their favorite subject in school turned into a hobby, but sophomore Mitchell Sturm can.
Sturm reenacts wars because of his love of history.
“My dad just showed me a bunch of models of old war planes and I thought it was pretty cool, which kind of kicked off my interest in war history,” Sturm said.
Todd Sturm influenced his son’s on his interest in historical wars and history in general. Sturm said he is a little more knowledgeable about war history than his dad and wanted to perform in war reenactments before his dad became interested in them. As a result, Sturm persuaded his dad to participate in the reenactments with him.
“I wish we could do the reenactments more often, but my age limits what groups we can join and what equipment I can use on the battlefield,” Sturm said.
Sturm and his father participate in a few reenactments a year; but once he turns 16 he qualifies to participate in more, due to an age limit in some reenactment groups. The equipment for the battle, including uniforms, guns, and other necessities, costs about $2,000, which adds up to almost $4,000 for Sturm and his father to participate in one reenactment.
“I think Mitchell’s interest in history definitely affects his personality,” sophomore friend Evan DeMercurio said.
Sturm and DeMercurio enjoy playing airsoft together, which DeMercurio believes came from Sturm’s fascination with war.
“It is nice to talk to someone with more knowledge than I have about history,” DeMercurio said.
Although Sturm’s father works long hours and with little breaks, so he and his father enjoy spending time together through the reenactments.
“I would love to keep reenacting for as long as possible with my father,” Sturm said, “and I will always have my love for history.”