History comes alive at Westside Elementary
Published 2:08 pm Thursday, February 27, 2025
Ron Marvel/Star Correspondent Deborah Sampson (Maggie White) shows off an Eisenhower jacket from World War II her grandfather, Clyde Ashworth, wore as a paratrooper during the war.
Ron Marvel/Star Correspondent Westside Elementary School recently held its "Living Wax Museum Day," featuring students dressed as historical characters and sharing facts from those characters' lives with those in attendance.
Ron Marvel/Star Correspondent Westside Elementary School recently held its "Living Wax Museum Day," featuring students dressed as historical characters and sharing facts from those characters' lives with those in attendance.
Ron Marvel/Star Correspondent Westside Elementary School recently held its "Living Wax Museum Day," featuring students dressed as historical characters and sharing facts from those characters' lives with those in attendance.
Ron Marvel/Star Correspondent Westside Elementary School recently held its "Living Wax Museum Day," featuring students dressed as historical characters and sharing facts from those characters' lives with those in attendance.
Ron Marvel/Star Correspondent Westside Elementary School recently held its "Living Wax Museum Day," featuring students dressed as historical characters and sharing facts from those characters' lives with those in attendance.
Ron Marvel/Star Correspondent Westside Elementary School recently held its "Living Wax Museum Day," featuring students dressed as historical characters and sharing facts from those characters' lives with those in attendance.
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By Ron Marvel
Star Correspondent
History was brought to life this week at Westside Elementary as second graders presented their second annual living wax museum. The students selected a historical American figure and, in costume, brought those figures to life as they researched facts and biographical information and then shared their findings with other students and visitors who came to walk interactive lines of historical characters at the Westside gym.
Colorful poster boards with detailed facts and information about their notable person were presented, although, according to the students, the best part was dressing up. “This was a lot of fun, but it was kind of hard to memorize my stuff, but I got it. I have learned a lot about Robert Fulton, like he was an inventor and made the steamboat. I have had a lot of fun doing this and dressing up,” second-grade student Greer Norman shared. This event brought together several elements for the students, including public speaking, drama, and research. Many parents were in attendance, many of them taking off work, and parents shared that they wouldn’t miss this event because they’ve been learning alongside their children, helping their children as they prepared for their roles. But not only did they get to see their children, they would also get to see their children’s friends and classmates in this interactive walk.
Among the depictions were nurse Clara Barton, baseball player Jackie Robinson, former presidents Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington, king Alexander the Great, reformer Susan B. Anthony, and Alexander Hamilton, to name just a few.
For second-grade ELA teacher Amy Ensor, who helped organize the event, being able to bring these historical figures to life and create engaged learning will reap benefits for Westside’s second graders. “We wanted to be able to create a hands-on experience for our students, to bring history to life. These are people we are talking about in the classroom or we will be talking about this semester. Taking that experience allows them to do, just not research,” Ensor shared.
This holistic approach allows children to not just gather facts but develop resilience, self-confidence, and perseverance as they learn. But beyond that, for the students, it serves as a reminder that schooling can be engaging and enjoyable.
