Hayden Moss portrayed late president John F. Kennedy at the PCES wax museum.

The sixth grade class at Phil Campbell Elementary School closed out the school year with a unique class project – the class transformed themselves into a wax museum of historical figures.

In the spirit of real wax museums like Madam Tussauds, the students stood in the elementary school gym stoically, not speaking or moving, until someone dropped a donation into their box. Once the donation was made, the student came to life reciting historical facts and quotes by the famous people they were portraying.

“I think it brought history to life not only for our students but to all who toured the museum,” said PCES principal Jackie Ergle.

“I have never seen such excitement in the students eyes as people walked up to them to listen.

“Our students will never forget this experience. I want to thank our teachers and parents for all the work they did to make this such an amazing event for our students.”

“We asked the students to choose a historical figure they admired,” said Neena Jackson, the sixth grade history teacher at PCES.

“They had to dress up like the person and memorize a short presentation about the person.”

Some of the historical figures represented were Lewis and Clark and their guide, Sacagawea; George Washington; Elvis Presley; Amelia Earhart; Walt Disney; John F. Kenney; Richard Nixon; and Clara Barton.

“It was a great way for our students to learn about famous historical people,” Jackson said.

“They learned about the ones they portrayed themselves and about the ones their friends portrayed. They learned how to utilize the Internet to do research and write an informative speech. Plus, they had a good time doing it.”