The sixth-grade students of Towamensing Elementary School stepped into history Monday, transforming their school hallways and gymnasium into a living wax museum. The project, guided by teacher Jackie Ivancich, gave students an immersive learning experience as they embodied historical and contemporary figures.

The Living Wax Museum project, which began in the 2019-20 school year, replaces a former requirement of 10 book reports per student.

“We moved away from book reports to one project per marking period and the wax museum became the third marking period project for sixth grade,” Ivancich said. “Students can choose any biography that they want, and then from there, they create their character.”

In preparation for the museum, students conducted thorough research on their chosen figures, compiling key facts about their lives, achievements, and challenges. They then created posters to serve as visual aids for visitors and prepared short, 30-second speeches in character.

During the event, students dressed as their selected individuals and remained still until a visitor pressed a button near them, prompting them to deliver their prepared monologue before returning to a waxlike pose.

The event featured a variety of notable figures, ranging from historical leaders to modern-day icons.

Baylor Bartholomew, a sixth-grade student, chose Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim as her subject.

“I started snowboarding about three years ago, so it interests me,” Bartholomew said. “So when I saw that Chloe Kim was a great snowboarder, I thought about portraying her as a person because she’s a great person to look up to. She’s one of the youngest people to ever accomplish what she has.”

Students from younger grades, along with Towamensing’s staff, toured the exhibits, engaging with the costumed sixth-graders and learning about their chosen figures.