[...] in Rodney Basenburg's classroom at Hewitt-Trussville High School, history comes alive when the teacher bunkers students on the floor between rows of desks and paints a gripping narrative of trench warfare. The students, like some American doughboys in 1917-1918, can't get out of the trench, even when they are misted with water, simulating a mustard gas attack.

The experience is part of an optional enrichment program called "History Alive," [Martha] Bouyer and Basenbrug said, which sparks students' interest and their intellect.

"It gets gory sometimes, but they don't forget trench warfare," Basenburg said.

"For history to make sense, you've got to make a connection for the students to today," Bouyer said. [...]