Living Museum
On March 11, Carol Fletcher's Middles class was transformed into a "living museum" of famous personages from past and present. George Washington was rubbing shoulders with baseball legends Sammy Sosa and Alex Rodriguez. Gymnast Mary Lou Retton and skater Michelle Kwan got to hang with Dr. Seuss. And Abraham Lincoln and Harriet Tubman, anti-slavery champions, were gloriously reunited. Laura Ingalls Wilder was there in an amazing replica of 19th century clothing (thanks to her mom!).
These re-enactments are all courtesy of Fletcher's hard working third and fourth graders, who, in full costume and microphones in hand, delivered two-minute speeches to anxious parents and classmates. The speeches were a culmination of a three-week project where each student chose and researched a notable person, and then wrote and edited several drafts of a speech. Fletcher encouraged her fourth graders to memorize their speech - quite a feat for a nervous 10-year-old!
The students delivered their speeches in fabulous form, and naturally embellished their performances with their own individual traits. Some were serious, some were comedic and most were a bit shy. However, they were all impressive, if for nothing else than having accomplished their first public speaking engagement!
The children and their "biographees" are as follows: Justin O'Farrell: George Washington
Maren Barnes: Ruby Bridges
Eric Angelo: Chris Burke
Stephen Peppes: Charles Lindbergh
Parish Goebel: Harriet Tubman
Miles McCoy: Norman Rockwell
Mira Lamb: Christa McAuliffe
Stefan Kutz: Abraham Lincoln
Cait Richter: Betsy Ross
Colin Portugal: Sammy Sosa
Emma MacDuff: Emma Lazarus
Tori Vacknitz: Helen Keller
Matthew Haug: Alex Rodriguez
Connor Thompson: Thomas Edison
Jordan Hamilton: Dr. Seuss
Hannah Khablein: Marylou Retton
Sam Arnold: Kareem Abdul Jabar
Gabbie Hsu: Georgia O'Keeffe
Max Schrempp: Theodore Roosevelt
Malika Elkayssi: Michelle Kwan
Galen LaPlante: Buffalo Bill
Aaron Benjamin: Wolfgang Mozart
Frances Dierken: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Anna Schneider: Sacagawea.[[In-content Ad]]
