Kyler Simon, a third grade student, poses as Rosie the Riveter during the C.C. Pinckney Elementary School’s annual Living Museum, Feb. 23. 

 

C.C. Pinckney holds annual Living Museum

Story, photos by Emily Hileman, Fort Jackson Public Affairs

The halls of C.C. Pinckney Elementary School were alive with quotes and speeches from past and present historical figures as students in second through sixth grades participated in the annual Living Museum exhibit Feb. 21-24. Students chose a historical figure, conducted research, and transformed into the figure for their presentation.

“The Living Museum gives students the opportunity to practice research, presentation and public speaking skills in a creative and fun way,” said Amy Watford, an educator and chairman of the Communication and Engagement Committee.

Students are instructed to stand still, like a museum exhibit, until a button near or on their presentation is pushed.

After more than a week of research, Patricia Travis’s fifth grade class practiced their presentations and even received feedback from Travis and their peers.

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“They also received bonus points if they memorized their speech, which made them really embrace their ‘person,’” Travis said. When asked about memorable moments throughout the week, Travis laughed and mentioned one student’s portrayal of Garrett Morgan, the inventor of the three-way traffic signal. “He was like, ‘if we didn’t have this creation, then you guys would be in accidents.’”

Each day of the presentations were broken down by grade level, with students portraying historical figures that were concurrent with their grade level’s science and social studies standards. Sixth graders portrayed scientists and inventors, with students portraying notable figures such as Albert Einstein, Nicola Tesla and Mark Rober.

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Knox Bandarii, a sixth grader who researched and presented as Mark Rober, said he had a lot of fun, but just wished the other students could’ve toured the exhibit too.

“I chose him because he’s a very popular Youtuber,” he said. “He also worked at NASA for nine years and he helped develop the Curiosity rover, which is now on Mars.”

Kyle Majors, another sixth grader, researched and acted as another well-known favorite, Albert Einstein.

When asked why he chose Einstein, Kyle said “I thought he’d be cool to (learn about) and the stuff he did was pretty cool.”

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