Usually when you hear about a wax museum come to life it’s part of some old Vincent Price horror movie.
But for students at Leonard Elementary last week, their living wax museum offered a biographical trip through history. Around 70 third and fourth-graders dressed as historical or famous people, then lined the walls of the gym in frozen poses like wax figures.
As students from other grades toured the museum, they were encouraged to touch the ‘wax statues,? which then sprang to life and read short biographies about who they are, what they accomplished and other interesting facts. When their speeches were over, they returned to their frozen states.
‘We have a biography unit in fourth grade . . . this helps them get into it more and really present what they’ve learned,? said teacher Michele Pinelli.
The lineup of characters was very diverse and included Albert Einstein, Rosa Parks, Dwight Eisenhower, ‘one of the Wright Brothers,? Lance Armstrong, Jimi Hendrix, Sir Isaac Newton, General Robert E. Lee, Booker T. Washington, Amelia Earhart, among others.
‘They were very creative with their costumes, but they also did a good job researching and finding some facts that are kind of out of the ordinary about their person,? Pinelli said. ‘I think it helped that they knew they were going to be turning into that person.?