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3/30/09
At the end of March, both of Corpus Christi School's fifth-grade classes explored historical figures of the world by transforming themselves into a live wax museum. This "pushbutton-activated" project provides a creative twist on the standard book-report found in many elementary school curriculum.
"Each student picked a figure from any genre of fame, whether it was a business figure like Bill Gates and Coco Chanel, a sports star such as Alexandra Sasha Cohen or Terry Bradshaw or an historical figure like Betsy Ross or Jackie Kennedy," explained Mrs. Doherty, one of our fifth-grade teachers. "Each student had to research and write a brief biography to help explain their figure's childhood, their rise to fame, and what they are doing now or when they died."
The students then developed costumes and props for their character and to complete the wax museum effect, they arranged themselves around the school's cafeteria in non-lifelike poses. Students from grades 2-4 were then invited to walk around and push the button next to the student to "activate" the figure and hear their biography.
"Many of the students really went all out on their costumes, coming up with elaborate hair, clothing or makeup," commented Mrs. McNerney, our other fifth-grade teacher. "The effort they put into their research, from creating their wax persona and then bringing their character to life, is very exciting. The fifth-graders love the project and the younger kids look forward to it for years."
In a single afternoon, the school's cafeteria is turned into a wax museum filled with fascinating stories told by young artists. Everywhere you look was another fascinating persona with an interesting story begging to be told.
Mrs. Doherty summed up the project by saying that "The best part of the day is seeing Sacajawea, Pocahontas and Cleopatra laughing and discussing American Idol while Albert Einstein, Bill Gates and Mother Teresa engage in quick game of tag."
Mrs. McNerney and Mrs. Doherty have both been teaching at Corpus Christi School for over eight years each and look forward to one day visiting a real Wax Museum.
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