Greenvale Wax Museum a Hit with Students, Parents

The past came to life at Greenvale this week, as the school’s fourth graders embodied notable historical personalities as part of a Wax Museum event.

Dressed up as figures that ran the gamut from Queen Elizabeth I to Harry Houdini and Simone Biles, students parked themselves around the Greenvale Cafeteria this week, eager to stun visitors with their impressive knowledge of the figures they had chosen. 

The Wax Museum event was started by Greenvale teacher Carlene LoVecchio 17 years ago in an attempt to help students form a deeper historical bond with the subjects they were studying in class. Students were first asked to select a historical figure and research their life. They then created a poster-board timeline of his or her notable achievements and prepared an informative speech about their figure’s life, which they recited for visitors who stopped by to learn more. 

By allowing her students the freedom to explore not only the historical significance of these figures, but focus on their personal lives as well, LoVecchio said students become more invested in the work that they are doing and gain a deeper appreciation for the factors that helped to shape the lives of these notable individuals.

“Becoming the person they are researching allows this to become so personal for the students,” said LoVecchio. “By doing all of that, they really take ownership of this project.”

LoVecchio said that the project taps into several skills the young students will need throughout their educational journeys—and their lives—including research, writing and public speaking. 

“In addition to the biography part, they are also beginning to learn about public speaking,” said LoVecchio. “We talk about speaking loud, speaking clearly, how to not rush through things; we even work on making eye contact, even when they’re nervous. There are so many skills they’re working on that they will use later; I’ve had high school seniors come back and talk to me about doing this project.”

Brayden Rybacki chose famed soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo for his project, and said that while he was initially drawn to “CR7” for his grace on the pitch, he came away with a much deeper appreciation for the struggles that the international star had to overcome on his journey. 

“He’s got great moves, he scores, and he’s cool,” said Rybacki. “But I learned he also had open heart surgery in 2000, when he was a teenager.”

“The students start to see the human side of these figures and not just the celebrity,” said LoVecchio.

This year, LoVecchio added, the entire Greenvale fourth grade participated in the Wax Museum project, something that she hopes will become a yearly tradition.

“I think it’s great,” she said. “Teachers get to experience the success of their students and the excitement of their students, and for the children, they get to experience this whole process and learn to appreciate the people that they’re studying. It’s a good memory for them.

“It’s an activity I look forward to every year and one that the parents look forward to every year as well,” she added.”For the children, even if they don’t love every step of the process, they end up really proud of themselves.”