History comes to life at Rock Creek's Living Wax Museum

Jun 09, 2023

President Barack Obama, played by Paxton Carter, shares his life story with an attendee at the Living Wax Museum, held Monday, May 8, 2023, at Rock Creek Elementary School.

TWIN FALLS — For an afternoon this week, a second-floor hallway at Rock Creek Elementary became a portal to a world filled with famous people who have altered the course of history.

Guests meandered through the hallway and heard from dozens of notable people, like Amelia Earhart, Sacajawea, Albert Einstein, Malala Yousafzai, Jacob Grimm of the Brothers Grim, Jane Goodall, Dr. Seuss, and President Barack Obama.

The Living Wax Museum was put on by the students in Angela Van Hofwegen's third-grade class. It was the culmination of weeks of learning about people who have contributed to history.

Jane Goodall, as portrayed by Jaksyn Sherley, tells attendees about her career studying chimpanzees during the Living Wax Museum, held Monday, May 8, 2023, at Rock Creek Elementary School in Twin Falls.

Students selected a historic person to study and write about. They then wrote a speech as that character and, on Monday, they came to school dressed as their character, ready to describe their lives to anyone who visited the museum.

With the push of a "button," each costumed third-grader would come to life, and share a story about their character's life.

Kyler McEntire said he selected Jacob Grimm from the Brothers Grimm because he liked to read.

Scarlet Stokes told the Times-News she chose Amelia Earhart "because she was a big woman."

Amelia Earhart, played by Scarlet Stokes, tells her life story to attendees during the Living Wax Museum, held Monday, May 8, 2023, at Rock Creek Elementary.

Van Hofwegen said the event really helps solidify students’ understanding of who these people were, and why they were important.

"The kids have done a lot of research on who they are and what they did, and how they impact our world," Van Hofwegen told the Times-News. "It makes it more impactful for the kids to really see and understand what it means to be a historical character."

The Living Wax Museum had been a regular part of Van Hofwegen's program, but it is the first time they’ve held one since 2019, due to the interruptions caused by Covid-19.

"The kids are excited — they’ve put in all the work," Van Hofwegen said. "They’re excited to show off what they’ve done."

Malala Yousafzai, Walt Disney, and Derek Jeter, were just a few of the historical figures who would, with the push of a button, come to life and share their life story at the Living Wax Museum, held Monday, May 8, 2023, at Rock Creek Elementary School.

Jane Goodall, as portrayed by Jaksyn Sherley, tells attendees about her career studying chimpanzees during the Living Wax Museum, held Monday, May 8, 2023, at Rock Creek Elementary School in Twin Falls.

Cash Stokes as Dr. Seuss describes his life to attendees of the Living Wax Museum on May 8 at Rock Creek Elementary School.

Feride Karayeva, as Marie Curie, tells the audience about her discovery of radiation during the Living Wax Museum, held Monday, May 8, 2023, at Rock Creek Elementary School.

Sacajawea, played by Kyra Jones, waits for attendees to push the button that starts her speech about her life. Jones was one of about 20 kids who played the role of historic figures at the Living Wax Museum, held Monday, May 8, 2023 at Rock Creek Elementary School.

Oprah Winfrey, played by Sadie Perkins, was one of many historical figures featured in the Living Wax Museum, held Monday, May 8, 2023, at Rock Creek Elementary School.

Walt Disney, played by Alana Allen, was one of several historical figures at the Living Wax Museum, held Monday, May 8, 2023, at Rock Creek Elementary School.

Albert Einstein, played by Kage Rands, tells the story of his life to Sue Jones during the Living Wax Museum, held Monday, May 8, 2023, at Rock Creek Elementary School.

Amelia Earhart, played by Scarlet Stokes, tells her life story to attendees during the Living Wax Museum, held Monday, May 8, 2023, at Rock Creek Elementary.

Amelia Earhart, played by Scarlet Stokes, was one of many historic figures featured in the Living Wax Museum, held Monday, May 8, 2023, at Rock Creek Elementary.

Albert Einstein, played by Kage Rands, was one of several historical figures featured in the Living Wax Museum, held Monday, May 8, 2023, at Rock Creek Elementary School.

President Barack Obama, played by Paxton Carter, shares his life story with an attendee at the Living Wax Museum, held Monday, May 8, 2023, at Rock Creek Elementary School.

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Third-graders dressed up as famous historical figures during the Living Wax Museum at Rock Creek Elementary School.

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