By Alex Paul
Gazette-Times reporter | Posted: Saturday, March 21, 2009 12:00 am
Dressed in a flying cap, goggles and sporting a scarf around her neck, pioneering pilot "Amelia Earhart" rose from the past to greet her guests and began telling them about her short life:
She was born in 1897 and trained to become a nurse, but her life changed dramatically when she took her first airplane ride at 23 years of age. From that moment on, she not only made worldwide newspaper headlines, but she made history - until her plane disappeared on July 2, 1937, during a flight over the Pacific Ocean.
Earhart, who was portrayed by Jefferson Elementary second-grade student Stella Rose-Wyatt, was joined by a notable cast of history-making individuals Thursday - including "President Barack Obama." Among those depicted in special appearances were Egyptian queen Cleopatra, Founding Father George Washington, cellist Yo Yo Ma, baseball slugger Babe Ruth, Holocaust diarist Anne Frank, sharpshooter Annie Oakley, chemist Marie Curie, theoretical physicist Albert Einstein and many others.
Students in classes taught by Christy Schloss and Beth Martin researched the history-makers, composed a short biographical sketch and wore costumes that reflected their subjects during the second annual Wax Museum project.
"It's part of our biography chapter in reading," Schloss said. "Other classes have been invited to come in and visit. All you have to do is push a button on the student's desk and they will tell you about their character."
Schloss said the students were expected to find at least five facts about their character, plus their date of birth and death if it has occurred.
"They also learned how to speak fluently, make good eye contact, pace their speech and proper delivery," Schloss said.
Cleopatra (Julia Frothingham) was getting a lot of attention. Dressed in a white robe, with gold-
colored accessories, she ably told about the Egyptian leader who was born in 69 B.C., crowned queen at 18, spoke nine languages and committed suicide via the bite of a venomous snake to thwart capture by her enemies. (Two fake snake-bite marks on her arm added authenticity.)
Telling the story about the life of Abraham Lincoln was easy for Preston Johnson, who was wearing a giant stovepipe hat. Lincoln is his favorite president.
"He did so many good things for the world," Preston said. "He stopped black people from being slaves, and was president two times."
Alex Paul can be contacted at alex.paul@lee.net or by calling 758-9526.