School wax museum showcases 21st-century skills

Posted 4/22/15

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School wax museum showcases 21st-century skills

SALLY RIDE: Larissa Signore presents her speech to her mother, Caren, at Oaklawn Elementary on Tuesday morning. “I didn’t realize that Sally Ride spent a total of 343 hours in space,” she said.

NOT JUST A ROCK STAR: Ani Ayanyan learned a great deal about the life and times of Elvis Presley. “I learned that he was named one of the 10 outstanding young men of the nation in 1970,” Ayanyan said.

FAMOUS RIDE: Jared Morales learned that Paul Revere was not only famous for his 1775 ride, but that he became a dentist in order to make extra money.

FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE: Prior to doing her research project, Elizabeth Morales didn’t realize that Nightingale was responsible for caring for soldiers in the Crimean War.

LIFE OF AN OLYMPIAN: Nevaeh Freeman researched the life of athlete and Olympic star Michelle Kwan. “I didn’t realize that she was living in Rhode Island. Not a lot of famous people live in Rhode Island,” she said.

MORE THAN BASEBALL: Anthony Ferri did his research on baseball player Jackie Robinson, but learned that Robinson was also the vice president of Chock Full of Nuts in 1957. “That was something I learned about him that I never knew,” Ferri said.

MYSTERIES REVEALED: Peter Morales found the secret to Harry Houdini’s many famous escapes – keeping the escape keys in his mouth during his tricks.

FAMED PRINCESS: Larissa Derevyanko hand-made a ring to mimic Princess Diana’s engagement ring from Prince Charles as part of the preparations for her wax museum presentation. “I never knew that Diana wasn’t born royal, but became royal through marriage,” she said.

Posted Wednesday, April 22, 2015 12:19 pm

The fifth-grade students in Lori Morse and Lynn Morales’ classes at Oak Lawn Elementary School had the opportunity to show off their research and oral presentation skills to friends and family on Wednesday as the Oak Lawn Wax Museum opened to the public. After weeks of in-depth research, writing, editing and preparation, the students were ready to present their oral presentations and timelines, dressed and acting in character for the duration. “This is all 21st-century learning,” said Morales, whose own triplets, students in the fifth grade this year, each created and prepared presentations. “These students will take these higher level thinking skills with them in the future.” (Text and photos by Jen Cowart)