Just before parents, family members and other students entered, everyone became completely still - as if they really were wax figures on display at a wax museum. Standing silent and still, Stella Mullen, wearing her bomber jacket and leather flying hat with goggles, waited for someone to touch the red button on her poster and bring her to life as Amelia Earhart at the Page Elementary Living Wax Museum.
The cafeteria was filled with students - each depicting someone from history who made an impact in the world around them. Jackie Robinson was there along with Neil Armstrong, Simone Biles, Walt Disney, J.K. Rowlings, George Washington and Laura Ingalls Wilder…to name a few.
All fourth-grade classrooms participated in this multi-faceted project that involved research, writing, drawing, creating posters, memorizing information and presenting at the wax museum. It’s something students have been working on since early December and something they absolutely loved doing.
God Lester said he liked performing for all the people who came to the wax museum event. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the absolute best, Lester emphatically declared the project was “an 11!”
He portrayed Albert Einstein and presented some little-known facts about the eccentric scientist. “Did you know that Einsteinium on the periodic table is named after Einstein?” he said. “It’s called Einsteinium and it glows blue. Einsteinium was first discovered after a bomb explosion.”
Nearby, classmate Amiyah Earhart portrayed Martin Luther King Jr. “The hardest part was studying and remembering the speech in front of people. I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. I was so nervous. But I did it,” she said.
Each student researched their famous person, finding facts and quotes. Then they created a poster adding one of their favorite quotes as well as a timeline of the person’s life and their own artwork of the famous person. Finally, they write a short speech about the person’s life and what they have done that made them famous. Every time a guest pressed their red button on their posters, students brought their famous person to life reciting their research speech.
“I am beyond proud of these kiddos and having so many people come to see this. It means the world to them. And to my students, you should be proud of yourself,” said Page fourth-grade teacher Stephanie Dow.
Olivia Stockwell portrayed Rosa Parks and her classmate Huntress Comp was Susan B. Anthony. “I was a little nervous about having to do the speech and I messed up a couple of times, but I liked it a lot,” said Stockwell.
Comp agreed. “I liked all of it. It was fun and I liked that my friends got to come and see us,” she said. “I learned a lot. I learned that Susan B. Anthony was famous for helping women get the right to vote.”
Stockwell learned about Rosa Parks and her fight for equality. “Rosa Parks is actually related to me. She was like my grandfather’s fifth cousin or something. It was fun to learn more about her.”
Dow said she was very pleased with her classroom representation and enjoyed visiting other class presentations as well. “It’s a great experience for the students to learn about people in history who have made a difference in the world.”