History comes alive at Queen of Heaven’s Living Wax Museum
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Where can Walt Disney, Orville Wright and Cleopatra be seen together? Only in a wax museum. Where can you hear them tell their life stories? The Queen of Heaven School’s Living Wax Museum.
Ari Drenning, a sixth grader at Queen of Heaven School in West Seneca, gives a demonstration of a plasma globe, one of Nikola Tesla’s inventions. Ari took on the guise of Tesla for Queen of Heaven’s annual Living Wax Museum, held Jan. 13 at the school. (Photo by Patrick J. Buechi) 
Cleopatra AKA Victoria Sanita gives a talk on her life as ruler of Egypt. Queen of Heaven School’s annual Living Wax Museum brought history to life. (Photo by Patrick J. Buechi) 
A love of animation made Joshua Kieser want to do a presentation about Walt Disney at Queen of Heaven School’s annual Living Wax Museum on Jan. 13. (Photo by Patrick J. Buechi) 
Young students gather around Grey Kicinski who explains Orville Wright’s efforts to fly the first airplane. (Photo by Patrick J. Buechi) 
Avery Herman learned to emulate the bold style of television journalist Barbara Walters while researching her for Queen of Heaven’s Living Wax Museum. (Photo by Patrick J. Buechi)
The museum is an annual part of the West Seneca school’s curriculum. It’s a multidisciplinary English/Language Arts project that involves research, public speaking, web design and just a touch of acting.
The sixth grade students each pick a historical figure as their subject. Then research and write a seven-page report. They also made a trifold billboard, design a website, and prepare a short speech. A costume and props complete the wax figure concept.
“Everybody loves it. The younger kids can’t wait to do it. It’s a super-exciting thing,” said Cheryl Griffin, ELA teacher for fifth and sixth grade. “At Parent Night, at the beginning of the year, they ask, ‘When’s the wax museum? I want to have it on my calendar so I can take off work.’“
Characters are picked from the fields of history, sports, entertainment and science. Marie Curie and Nikola Tesla were there on Jan. 13. So were Queen Elizabeth II and Napoleon Bonaparte. Jane Goodall brought a monkey. It was plush, but still.
Ari Drenning brought a small plasma globe to complete his Nikola Tesla presentation.
“I picked him because I like to make inventions and stuff, and I want to be an inventor,” he explained, adding he had not invented anything yet.
“I think it’s fabulous that he’s so inspired to really learn what other inventors did,” said his proud mother, Angela. “I think the obvious inspiration of the Tesla factory in Buffalo and the other local connections; he started to put it all together. He realized this guy had a local influence and started researching. I was just so happy.”
Grey Kicinski soared as Orville Wright. His presentation included a period-accurate suit and toy airplanes to give away.
“It turned out to be a fun project,” he said. “I made a trifold, I wrote an essay. I thought it was really cool because I found out a lot about them that I don’t think I would know if I never did the project.”
For instance, it was Orville that is credited with flying the first airplane, and there were five other Wright siblings, along with Orville and Wilbur. Their sister ran their bike shop while the brothers tested their planes.
Avery Herman took on reporter Barbara Walters.
“I like how she had enthusiasm for her job and how she was very bold in her interviews,” Herman said. Learning about the life of the Emmy-winning host of “The View,” which included her work as a producer, actress and news host, didn’t spark the sixth grader’s interest in journalism, but still inspired her. “It taught me how to be bold,” she said.
The wax museum project is part of Queen of Heaven’s Eagle Hour, which showcases the works of one grade each month.
“The enthusiasm was palpable last Friday when they knew they had to come Monday morning. Then the parents are here, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Any community event is always great to see,” said Principal Mary Damico.
