Elementary Students Bring History to Life

WAITSBURG – Waitsburg Elementary School third-grade teacher Marne Henderson loves finding unusual and exciting ways to bring learning to life for her students. Earlier this month, she accomplished that in a quite literal fashion when she challenged her students to bring historical figures to life as part of a "living museum."

Henderson's students spent the last several weeks studying biographies. As a culminating project, each third grader wrote a report and dressed up as the person they were studying. On May 1, the students arrived dressed in costume and prepared to share their knowledge with the first and second grade classes.

Students chose subjects ranging from Barack and Michelle Obama to Elvis Presley to Rosa Parks. The younger students were to approach a "statue," which would then "come alive" and share some highlights and details from their life. "All the students from the three grades had a great time learning something new about someone famous," said Henderson.

"What a great time! It's so wonderful to have a teacher that engages kids in an out-of-the box manner. We are truly blessed," said third grade parent Tracy Barron, whose daughter Makenna dressed as Queen Elizabeth.

Living Museum actors included: Teighan Anderson, Sitting Bull; Makenna Barron, queen Elizabeth; Amy Bly, Harriet Tubman; Laney Crow, Wolfgang Mozart; Kairi Dahlby, Frida Kahlo; Jayce Dunleavy, Barack Obama; Ben Gason, Ronald Reagan; Eden Glaus, Sacagawea; Sofia Glaus, Dr. Suess; Jayce Gleason, Milton Hershey; Kylee Henry, Rosa Parks; Addie Johnson, Sacagawea; Taylor Krupkat, Dolly Parton; Julio Mercado, Franklin D.Rroosevelt; McKenzie Miller, Michelle Obama; Cyson Morris, Elvis Presley; Jasper Morrow, Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Moser, Daniel Boone; Zack Norris, Elvis Presley; Josh Reser, Anne Frank; Marahsyn Russel, Rosa Parks; Tray Smith, Bill Gates; Bailey Standring, Leonardo da Vinci; Peyton Struckmeier, Johnny Appleseed; and Cohen Vails-Rauch, John F. Kennedy.