History will come to life Thursday as more than 130 Andalusia Middle School sixth graders participate in the annual “Living History” parade.

This will be the first year without its creator and longtime AMS teacher Lynda Kyle, but locals shouldn’t worry – new AMS teacher Jeff Walker and his students have worked for the last several weeks to perfect their performance.

Walker joined the AMS staff this August. He and his wife, Louise, a travel nurse, have two children – Tyler Forde, a senior, and Avery Walker, a fifth grader.

“We love it here,” Walker said. “In fact, in my research about Andalusia, I came across a story on the Living History parade, and I said during my interview, that is the kind of project I want to continue and to grow.”

Walker said he strives to teach students about the importance of history.

“For students at this age, you have to make history fun and you have to make it interesting,” he said. “You can Google the dates of the Battle of Gettysburg. I want to do things that catch my students’ attention. I think it’s crucial that we teach students to think critically about things that happened in the past and apply that logic to today.”

On Thursday, locals can hear first-hand the many stories of those who shaped history from modern day politicos like George W. Bush to musical geniuses like Duke Ellington.

Students will march beginning at city hall at 10 a.m. and travel to the court square. Students will give verbal performances of their characters until 11:30 a.m.