A teen in Edmonton, Canada plans to spend his spring break a little differently than most of his contemporaries.
Dylan Ferris told Canadian news station CTV that he’s going to build a trench and spend 24 hours in it to gain a better appreciation for the conditions World War I soldiers had to endure during wartime. He’s digging a trench in his mom’s snow-covered vegetable garden and borrowed an authentic, original uniform that would have been issued to soldiers.
You’re looking at one dedicated student! Overnight, Dylan Ferris plans to spend 24 hours in a trench to experience what life was like in the First World War, all for a school project. The story on @ctvedmonton. #yeg pic.twitter.com/toFlDuqm6g
— Nicole Weisberg (@NWeisbergCTV) March 29, 2018
He’s doing it all for a 10th grade school project, where his whole class is supposed to learn something hands-on about WWI. Ferris says he could have chosen something “easy” like learning Morse code but he wanted to push himself and honor the soldiers in a more physically demanding way.
Ferris says he has a particular passion for the Canadian Armed Forces and is an Air Cadet with the 570 Sir Winston Churchill Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron in Edmonton.
He says it took him weeks to dig an authentic trench – which is six feet long and three feet deep. It features a ladder and sandbags. And he’s planning to spend 24 hours in it this week for a grade. He’s leaving all evidence of the 21st century behind him, but he did mention he might bring a book to entertain him.
WATCH: Edmonton teen experiences life in the trenches https://t.co/LGKCGpEGpQ #yeg pic.twitter.com/WF1RofiJTp
— CTV Edmonton (@ctvedmonton) March 29, 2018
“If I was being accurate to the day, I wouldn’t have to dig a trench as I would move into a trench previously occupied by the 58th Battalion,” he said.
He hasn’t been graded for the work yet but he’s pretty sure his teacher will like the idea.
And who wouldn’t like this project? Not only does this kid seem pretty physically capable, his passion for the free world is admirable. This kid deserves an A.
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