Historical Figures Come Alivein Classroom Exhibit
10th Grader Alianna Stone poses as Cleopatra. Photo by Anna Somers
April, 24, 2025
Anna Somers - CRR Staff
On Friday, April 14, students in Debbie Lorence’s high-school world history class presented a living museum with costumes, displays, and recitations about significant historical figures from ancient times until today.
Tables and booths were laid out chronologically so that spectators could walk through the corridors of time and interact with characters ranging from Alexander the Great (presented by Ethan Hoke) and Genghis Khan (Ashton Hicks), to more contemporary figures like Queen Elizabeth II (Layla Allain) and JFK (Malachi Massera).
At the end of the night, members of the public were invited to vote on their favorite character as well as the best speech or presentation. Alianna Stone and Roman Aguila tied for favorite character for their portrayals of Cleopatra and Jesus Christ, respectively.
The best presentation was awarded to Timothy Somers, a ninth grader and this writer’s son, who recited a three-minute speech from the perspective of Attila the Hun.
While most of the characters were well known (think Leonardo da Vinci presented by Gabriel Eskilida or Abraham Lincoln presented by Cody Miller), students found ways to give the public new information about familiar names.
For example, until I listened to Nolan Rosklansky’s presentation, I didn’t know that Thomas Edison suffered significant hearing loss as a result of childhood scarlet fever, or that when he was a teen he saved a three-year-old child from being hit by a train.
Isabella MacDonald’s character, Hedy Lamarr, is a historical figure many never learn about in school. During her life, Lamarr was most well-known for her acting career, but she was also an inventor who is considered the “mother of Wi-Fi” as her discoveries were direct precursors to contemporary wireless technology.
In addition to presenting facts about their chosen historical personalities on a trifold display, each student prepared a three-minute recitation written in first person. The students did a notable job remaining in character for the majority of the evening, and members of the public could ask them direct questions, like, “Madame Curie, did you really glow in the dark from radiation exposure or is that just a myth?”
High-school theater teacher Misty Rude helped students procure costumes for the event. Each presenter also had to bring a prop like the nursing kit Anniyah Stone used to portray Florence Nightingale or the wheelchair Anthony Wattengel used to portray Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Melinda Tobey, a former high-school teacher, was one of the members of the public who came to interact with all these different characters from history. She said she was very impressed with the amount of work the students put into their research.
Speaking of the interactive nature of the evening, Tobey said it went so much deeper than what students could read in a textbook. “It brings kids into the real world of people who influenced history.”
