Shirland Wax Museum provided educational fun
Students at Shirland School finished the school year in a creative learning environment as a wax museum came to life on Tuesday evening, May 29 2025.
Behind the educational fun, students researched a historical figure or a celebrity, took notes from multiple sources, composed a speech, and then presented it to the Shirland staff and other students during the day, and again that night for family and friends.
Teachers who worked with students were Ms. Dawn Heavilin, Mr. Nate Vana, and Mrs. Heather Dobnick, who worked with third and fourth grades.
Mrs. Ciara James led the fifth grade along with Dr. Lee Woods, who also assisted some of the students.
Everyone from Isaac Newton, Helen Keller, Dr. Seuss, Abraham Lincoln, Joan of Arc, Michael Jackson, and others filled this eye-catching museum that captured great attention.
Student Easton Gunnink researched Jesus for his speech. “I wanted people to be all good in this world, so I told stories such as how a farmer planted seeds in good soil. I also performed other miracles such as when I turned water into wine at a wedding. I also turned four loaves of bread and two fish into enough to feed five thousand people. I also brought a girl back from the dead.”
Student Isabelle Scott-Nimmer opened by quoting, “Powerful ideas are just in your pocket.”
“Hello, I am Isabella Bumfree, but you may know me better as Sojourner Truth. I was born in 1797 in Statekill, New York. My parents’ names were James and Betsey Bumfree. My master’s name at that time was Mr. Hardenbergh, who only spoke Dutch, as did I. When I was nine, I got sold to John Neely with a flock of sheep for $100.”
Knox Beyer chose George Washington Carver and reported, “Once I was in Tuskegee, I started experimenting with crops that no one really uses. It was very frustrating until I came across the Arachis hypogaea, also known as the peanut, groundnut, or the earth nut. The plant wasn’t known for its consumption. It was used more for feeding animals than doing anything else, but I thought of something else. In that time, I had made over 300 ways that peanuts could be useful, including dyes, oils, peanut butter, and more. Did you know that it takes over 540 peanuts to make one 12 oz jar of peanut butter?”
Enslie Michalsen portrayed Betty White. She wrote, “I love dogs and all animals. In fact, my dad would trade his own radios for dogs for me. In my show, Pet Set, where I invited exotic pets and their celebrity owners on the show, we would talk about how their pets got names, the breed history of each animal, and I would give advice. In fact, I told celebrities not to allow their puppies to roughhouse because it encourages bad behavior later. I even had some wild animals on my sets. We had a hawk, zebra, elephant, birds, and chimpanzees. Did you know that blowing into an elephant’s trunk is a sign of affection?”
Lillian Crosby chose Annie Oakley and shared what she discovered in her research: “We tried to join Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, but Bill didn’t let us because he thought I was charging too much money for my performance. So Bill and I made an agreement that he would not pay me for three days until he had a chance to see how good I was. After watching me for three straight days, he let us join. Our first show was in Louisville. Lillian Smith joined in 1886. She was a sharpshooter. We were enemies, fighting for the same glory.”
Colton Jobson transformed into Paul Revere.
“I was in clubs that fought for freedom. I joined the Sons of Liberty, and we worked to gain independence from the British. I was also part of the Green Dragon, Long Room Club, and the Mechanics. All of these groups were protesting against the British because the British put taxes on tea, as they were in debt. To show how mad we were, we poured 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor on Dec. 16, 1773. We held meetings by the Liberty Tree and the Liberty Pole. People met at the Liberty Tree 120 years before me.”
Aubrey Hurn was Dolly Parton.
“When I was still young, my parents made toys for me. My mom once made a corncob doll called Tiny Tassel Top and my first song was about her. When I was five, my mom wrote down one of my songs called Life Doesn’t Mean That Much to Me. Everyone in my family noticed how musical I was. I loved to sing with my sisters in church. Then I put a tin can on a stick and pretended it was a microphone. The porch was a stage. I put on shows for the chickens and my brothers and sisters. My biggest dream was to be on the Grand Ole Opry, the famous country music show.”
Tucker Potter dressed as Benjamin Franklin. He said in his speech, “I was a candle maker, an apprentice, and a news printer/writer at the Pennsylvania Gazette with Hugh Meredith. I also was an inventor. I wanted to make lightning less dangerous, so I invented the lightning rod. It would be fixed to a roof, causing the lightning to hit the pole instead of the house, and the people inside would be unharmed. It saved many lives.”
As told by Shirland School students, these stories covered great minds who made a significant impact in history.
