THUNDER BAY - Students were making education come alive, quite literally, with a unique program that included a wax museum of important and influential people.
On Wednesday, Grade 7 and 8 students at Nor’Wester View Public School hosted a Wax Museum Night to kick off the schools new Academies program.
The Academies program allows students to choose between three academies - global citizenship, sports and outdoor recreation, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
“Those three programs are imbedded in our teachings and throughout our curriculum, particularly through language and science,” said Grade 7 and 8 teacher, Kristi Lees.
The program is meant to provide experiential learning through active experiences and the students will be participating in various community events, including umpiring and refereeing local sports, hiking, search and rescue activities, Lego robotics, 3D printing, and volunteering with organizations like the Christmas Cheer Fund and the Thunder Bay Shelter House.
“We just want them to be engaged, we want them to love school as much as we love teaching them, we want them to enjoy being here, we want them to take their learning to the next level and inspire them to their career path,” Lees said.
“The energy is really high about this program,” she continued. “We have a lot of community support and we really wanted to start out with a bang. After tonight, now our programming will really start where we go out into the community and really doing our programs.”
In order to kick off the program with a bang, the students researched and wrote a report about an influential individual who they feel best represents their chosen academy. But rather than just read a report, the students are taking on the persona of that individual as a wax sculpture.
“They are all interactive,” Lees said. “Each backdrop is going to have a person dressed up. There is a button and students hold their pose until someone walks around and presses the button. They will share several facts about not only the person, but the difference they made.”
Grade 7 student, David Harris, chose physician Norman Bethune because he said he wants to pursue a career in medicine when he gets older.
“He was my dad’s childhood hero and I wanted to learn more about him,” Harris said. “I learned he was a selfless hero. He dedicated his life to other people and problems that did not affect him.”
“I want people to learn that he actually did a lot and he helped developed surgery that is still used today,” David continued.
Grade 8 student, Rachel Perzan, chose Anne Frank because she wanted to pick someone who changed the world through simple, but important actions.
“I chose her because I like how she can change the world with just her story, just her words, and make a big difference,” she said. “I hope they can learn that it doesn’t matter what age you are, where you come from, or how you tell your stories, but you can make a big difference either way.”
