Famous characters spotlighted in Kuemper wax museum

Oct 09, 2023

Executive Editor

Current and past figures from the worlds of arts, science, sports, entertainment, business and more filled the gymnasium at Kuemper Catholic School St. Lawrence Center Friday, May 5.

Hannah Pietig as Laura Ingalls Wilder

Ninety-three Kuemper fifth graders each highlighted their chosen character's life stories and accomplishments in the school's annual Wax Museum.

Each character, in costume and standing beside a display featuring photos and information, came to life when visitors stepped on an activate button on the floor.

A few of the characters Wolfgang Mozart, Blackbeard, John Deere, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dolly Parton, Stephen Curry, Shaquille O’Neal, Mother Teresa, Joan of Arc and Patrick Mahomes.

Students also tackled some less-well-known figures such as Deborah Sampson, who disguised herself as a man to fight with the Patriot forces in the Revolutionary War; Emma Edmonds, a native of Canada and disguised herself as a man to aid Union forces in the Civil War; and Temple Grandin, prominent author and speaker on autism and animal behavior who at a young age was diagnosed with autism and later developed the hug machine.

McDermott Hoyt as Wolfgang Mozart

Nicole Larsen, one of Kuemper's fifth grade teachers, says, "The students started the wax museum unit by choosing a character that they wanted to learn more about. They could pick a famous politician, scientist, actor or actress, businesswoman/man, etc. to name just a few. The students read a biography about their character. They also read information online. Using the information from the book and online, students wrote a longer report about their character, with specific guidelines for each section. They wrote 10 facts, starting with the birth of their person and ending with their death, if applicable, or what they are currently doing in their life. The students wrote about their character's life story, accomplishments, reflection, and created a timeline. The 10 facts of the report became their memorized wax museum speech as if the 5th grader came to life as their Wax Museum character. Students and families were responsible for costuming. Many chose to rent costumes from Lori Schreck from the Carroll Community Theatre. This project did give the students a chance to apply the skills that they learned in Speak Up! (public-speaking program led by RSVP).

Piper Pudenz as Hillary Clinton

"This project was completed in language arts, and it met so many of our standards and benchmarks that need to be taught in fifth grade. Students gained confidence in public speaking, and the overall growth in their writing skills was immense. The students all did an excellent job in the preparation for this entire project. The culmination of the project was this very successful wax museum performance where 93 students, from four sections of fifth grade, came to life as their chosen characters.

"The turnout was amazing. The gym was quite full, with parents, grandparents, family and friends in attendance. So many in attendance commented that they look forward to this event each year."

Hannah Pietig says of choosing writer Laura Ingalls Wilder as her character: "I believe Laura was an amazing role model to young authors all over the globe. My mom is a huge fan of the ‘Little House’ series, so I grew up watching and reading it. Laura and I really connect for the love of writing and being able to draw pictures with words."

Executive Editor

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