Waxing Historic

Lincoln Middle School history students presented their final presentations for the year during a pair of "Wax Museum" displays, open to the public, at the Lincoln School gym Tuesday morning, June 7.

The students, dressed as various historic figures, waited for visitors to hit a "play button" that launched them into their presentation on the person they represented.

The morning started with the 7th grade World Cultures and Geography class, who portrayed figures from world history such as Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Queen Victoria. Some of the 8th grade US History students who followed picked lesser-known figures, like Jonas Salk, Dorothea Dix and President William Howard Taft.

Although some kids put in more work than others, Lincoln history teacher Ryan Hollinger said the presentations went fairly well. "I think these sorts of things, where it's public and they have to do a presentation, it kind of encourages them to put in the work so they can be proud of something."

He said he encouraged his students to have self-ownership and accountability in what they do.

Hollinger said he provided students with a list of possible historic figures and encouraged them to investigate them and to find someone who they really wanted to know more about.

Colt Olsen picked Dr. Jonas Salk, a name people may have heard, but may not remember why. "I'm pretty interested in medical, especially viruses," he said. "So, I thought I would pick a person interested in those things as well. (Salk) created the Polio Vaccine. He's not very known and polio is a very deadly disease, so why is he not popular? it should be known. they don't shine a light on his subject in history, so I thought I'd shine a light."

Nearby, Makenna Copenhaver appeared as Dorothea Dix.

Copenhaver said she wanted to portray a historic woman who made social change. Someone who struggled for better care of mental patients in the 19th century and served as the Union's Superintendent of Army Nurses seemed like a good choice.

"I was going through, and I saw Dorothea Dix and I thought 'OK, I want to know a little more about her.' I saw she started out in mental hospitals, and I read about how she did help start up the first nurses to help out in the Civil War. She did make a lot of social changes in that the time."

Hollinger said he'd heard the "Wax Museum" format had been used at Lincoln several years ago. Annette Gardner, the school's reading coach, used it when she taught 5th grade. The last time she did it was around 2006.

"I thought this would be a great way to get some of the community members in and give the kids a more fun kind of final, especially after the COVID restrictions ... get something a little more interactive," Hollinger said.

"I just think this is wonderful for these kids, and for anyone coming through," Gardner said of the new take on the idea. She admitted she was stricter about the students' interactions. "They could only say their speech. They couldn't visit with us. They had to be a statue and they couldn't look at you unless that was where his gaze was focused."

She did let them change position about every 10 minutes, though. The last time Gardner recalls doing it the kids focused on Lincoln History, which saw Angela Krier portray Helen Fox, who helped get Lincoln a sewer system. "Angela was here with her little dress and a plunger. That was her costume."