51ÊÓƵ

Time Travelers: Clinton second graders bring history to life at wax museum

June 25, 2025

Dolley Madison, Martin Luther King Jr., Clara Barton and George Washington all paid visits to this spring during a first-of-its-kind event on campus.
 
Dozens of family members and Clinton classmates spoke with famous figures at the inaugural Clinton Second Grade Wax Museum. Second graders researched the lives of many historical characters and wrote short biographies of each person. They then shared their knowledge with visitors during the afternoon event.
 
Sylas spent her time at the wax museum portraying Dolley Madison, who was the fourth First Lady of the United States. She stood still like a wax figure until somebody stepped on a chalk-drawn button on the sidewalk in front of her. The button “animated” Sylas and she began to speak about Dolley Madison’s accomplishments.

 
What was it like to learn about someone like Dolley Madison?
 
“It was really fun,” Sylas said.
 
On the other side of Clinton’s playground, Sebastian gave people insight about George Washington’s life. He wore a Colonial-era costume that included a white wig and a blue and tan uniform. He said it had been a good experience talking about one of the nation’s founders.
 
“People think I’m famous,” Sebastian said.

 
Second grade teachers Emily Bretting and Mackenzie Fralin said they were proud of students for their work on the wax museum. The project was tied to the second grade portion of the school district’s Amplify CKLA curriculum. Clinton teachers came up with an initial wax museum concept last year and put their plans into action for the first time this spring.
 
“It’s a cool experience for them to become the characters that they’ve spent the whole year learning about,” Bretting said. “It’s been really fun to watch them today.”
 
“I’m really proud to see how dedicated they are to this and how much work they’ve put into making this happen,” Fralin said. “The kids have done an awesome job. It’s exciting to see all of the students in the other grades enjoying this too. It’s been fun for everyone.”
 
51ÊÓƵ elementary students learn through short texts, pictures and videos. Students in kindergarten through third grade become familiar with their community, nation and world through a wide variety of lessons.
 
Second graders studied people and events from throughout American history during the fall, winter and spring. They then drew names out of a hat to see which character they would portray at the wax museum.
 
“Everyone was excited about that,” Fralin said. “It was fun for them to see who they would be.”
 
Students like Damir, Jream, Kalea and Hawa then began preparing for the big day. They wrote summaries of each historical figure’s achievements and decided how they wanted to bring their characters to life.

 
Damir wore a tie, vest and mustache for his portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr., and Kalea talked about Rosa Parks with a pink shirt and purple and pink coat. Jream and Hawa created cutouts of Clara Barton and Eleanor Roosevelt and placed them on their heads while they spoke.
 
Bretting said there was a sense of anticipation in her classroom as the presentation date approached. Students made final touches on their scripts and were eager to see what their classmates would do for their wax figures.
 
“They’ve been so excited,” Bretting said. “They’ve been asking what they can wear for their characters and what it’s going to be like. They’ve really been looking forward to this.”
 
Students from each second grade classroom stood in a line as visitors moved up and down the sidewalk. Jream and Damir both smiled as people listened to them speak about how their figures impacted American history.
 
“I’m just happy to do it,” Jream said.
 
“This has been a good day,” Damir said.
 
Bretting and Fralin said wax museum characters would make annual appearances on Clinton’s playground. They felt the event was a good way for students to learn valuable research and writing skills. It also provided experience with public speaking and gave them confidence knowing that their preparation had paid off.
 
The wax museum moments gave students like Sylas a level of historical happiness that will remain well into the future.
 
“I’m really liking this,” Sylas said. “This is a lot of fun.”

Visit to learn how LPS students are building vocabulary and content knowledge in multiple subjects through reading lessons. The site also includes additional information about enriching reading curriculum at 51ÊÓƵ.

Do you have a story idea? Share it with the LPS Communications Team by

---