The annual wax museum took place this afternoon from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm. Thirty-four second grade students developed historical alter egos in order to raise money for Convent of the Sacred Heart’s sister school in Uganda.
To culminate their study on biographies, the second graders applied their knowledge to a hands-on activity. Each student chose a different person to research and write a short biography. The students wore costumes to portray their characters at the event. With a 25 cent donation, visitors to the museum brought each character to life.
Students dressed up as historical figures including Thomas Edison and Frida Kahlo while others chose to take on the personas of astronauts and athletes.
“We like to see creativity in costumes made from things at home,” Second Grade Homeroom Teacher Mrs. Suzanne Festa said. “Some girls wore wigs and even colored their hair (wash out, of course). In fact, this year’s Henry Ford used hair spray and baby powder to get that touch-of-gray effect. The girls got really psyched about the preparation and the total costume really wrapped it up.”
Not only did the wax museum educate the Sacred Heart community about the history of influential figures, but it also benefited the Sacred Heart school in Uganda. In previous years, the second graders raised over a thousand dollars from the generosity of Sacred Heart parents, faculty, and students. Last year, the museum yielded $1,722.
Although wax museums date back to the 1600s in England and France, there are many popular wax museums today that attract modern audiences such as the renown Madame Tussauds with locations in London and New York City.
Since the beginning of Sacred Heart’s original spin on wax museums, the fare to see these figures come to life has increased from a dime to a quarter.
“It’s a great event that Sacred Heart holds. The costumes are beautifully done and the girls are so well prepared,” Mrs. Trish Davies, mother of Lower School student Lizzie Davies, said.
In recent years, there have been two phases to the wax museum. During the first stage, the students dress up to raise money. The second phase involves the selling of DVDs for the museum. Due to this addition, the event has been able to substantially increase the funds that are raised.
This year, the wax museum took place in the Upper School Core Center, because of the construction its previous location, the Dubois gymnasium. This played to the second graders’ advantage as a multitude of Upper School students attended and contributed to the success of the museum.
“In past years it was hard to find time to go because it was in the gym, but this year it was definitely more accessible to Upper School students,” senior Jessica Hummel said.
As the second graders ended an afternoon filled with laughter, learning, and fund-raising, Sacred Heart students and faculty look forward to the success of the museum in years to come.
-Morgan Johnson, Staff Writer