Kenny Lake Elementary Students Create Wax History Exhibit

Fourth grader Cherish Bailey poses as Rosie the Riveter at the Kenny Lake wax museum exhibit. Photo by Anna Somers

May 8, 2025

Anna Somers – CRR Staff

On Wednesday, March 23, third through fifth grade students at Kenny Lake Elementary School presented a wax museum exhibit that taught students, parents, and members of the public about interesting historical figures.

The wax museum was organized by Jennifer Hodges, who has taught the third through fifth grade class at Kenny Lake for the past seven years. Also on display in her classroom were some of the wax figures made by students in previous years.

The wax figures were made with a soda bottle base and styrofoam head. They were decorated with paints, yarn, and fabric scraps procured from the community. Historical characters displayed ranged from political figures like John F. Kennedy to sports heroes like Babe Ruth. 

Other students created their figures based on cultural icons like children’s author Dr. Seuss, composer John Williams, and Muppet creator Jim Henson.

Some of the more interesting figures on display at the wax museum were Louis Coulon, famed for his ten-foot-long beard, and Rosie the Riveter, the icon who symbolized women’s strength during WWII.

In addition to creating the “wax” figures, each student dressed up and memorized a short speech which they delivered from the perspective of their chosen character. This entire event was interactive for the public since the students would only come to life and deliver their presentation if somebody pressed a red button on their display.

The students did a remarkable job memorizing their lines, and the costumes and artwork added greatly to the experience, which presumably was a great learning experience for everyone involved.