June 7, 2017 at 4:03 p.m.
Wax museum project brings history to life
Wax museum project brings history to life
By Kayla Thomason-
Each student portrayed a wax figure of a famous American as part of the school's second annual Wax Museum.
All students researched a famous American to learn why they became famous and the impact they had on the world. Then they created props and dressed as the person they chose. Each exhibit also included posters with interesting facts on said individual.
"In fifth grade we study the regions of the United States and one of the culminating events is to study famous people from U.S. history and so that's the final project," said Bethany Ledgerwood, social studies teacher.
"I think they did really well, they were very invested," she said, adding that some of the students connected their passions to the individual they researched.
According to Ledgerwood, the students were given time to practice being wax figures. They tried different positions to see what would be most comfortable, and practiced how to switch positions when no one is looking.
"It's a challenge but it's a good challenge," Ledgerwood said, adding that the students have been excited all year for this project.
"It's a great time to have the family members come in and see a wonderful culminating event as a fifth-grader," she added.
Bri Birginal portrayed ballerina Misty Copeland, the first African-American female principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre.
"(I chose her because of) how inspirational she is because in one of her dance studios they made her put on tons of white makeup just to look like the other girls because she is African-American and she's also very muscular, unlike other dancers, and so she sets examples for younger girls that like just because you look one way doesn't mean you have to follow stereotypes," she said.
Birginal is a dancer herself and wanted to choose someone with similar passions.
She said she hopes people take away from her project that "dancers are cool, that we aren't just wimpy little people, that we are powerful people."
Birginal said it was hard being a wax person because her foot kept falling asleep. She added that she was impressed with her classmates' committment to remaining perfectly still.
"I think that everybody is doing a great job, I see people and they aren't moving at all," she said.
Mya Krouze chose Rosa Parks and was surprised to learn that the Civil Rights icon knew Martin Luther King Jr.
"She had a professional relationship with Martin Luther King Jr. and that was really interesting because I never thought they could be together because they lived in different towns and different cities but they finally met up," she said.
She hopes that those who viewed her project learned that Rosa Parks had many interests.
"She had interests in a bunch of different things but she mostly liked reading the best and she was a really loved person in history because she fought for her rights and our rights," Krouze said.
Krouze said she enjoyed being a wax figure, even though her muscles cramped up occasionally from sitting still for so long.
"I like it, you just have to stay in a certain position and then when everyone's walking around you, you have to stay in that position even though it's uncomfortable sometimes," she said.
Charles Loomis portrayed Frank Lloyd Wright and learned about his career and life.
He found it interesting that the famous architect was nearly sacked from his job.
"He got in trouble for doing repairs in his neighbor's house because he worked for a company at the time and almost got fired," he said.
Loomis enjoyed being a wax figure, even if some of the poses were rather uncomfortable.
"It's pretty cool," he said. "I guess certain poses are easier than others. If you're holding something your hand starts to fall asleep and you have to move every once in a while when people aren't looking. I really enjoyed it just because we get to show people how these historical figures helped the world."
Dan Brunette, a first-time visitor to the Wax Museum, thought the students did a good job on their projects.
"I think the kids did really well," he said, adding that he especially liked his daughter Nicole's display of pioneer Laura Ingalls Wilder. He also liked Abe Lincoln and George Patton who, fittingly, was in a tank.
"I think it's great that they're living the history of these people and they've all got to come up with facts and interesting tidbits about all these people who are part of our history," he said.
Another parent, Sarah Marx, was impressed by the effort put into creating the wax museum.
"I think the children put a lot of work into it, there are a wide variety of historical figures that are represented here today," she said.
Marx liked that the students learned more about the history of their country.
"I think it's wonderful that they are able to look back throughout history and find some very important figures," she said. "I was impressed with the number of women figures that were represented. I think the children put a lot of hard work into this project and the dedication their teachers show as well,"
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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