SLIDESHOW: Orchard Elementary's President Wax Museum party
NORTH SALT LAKE -- Many children dream of one day becoming president of the United States. That day was Friday for fifth-graders at Orchard Elementary.
From George and Martha Washington to Barack and Michelle Obama, each of the 110 students stepped into the persona of a president or first lady, as part of the school's annual President Wax Museum.
"Hi y'all, I am the 39th president of the United States," said fifth-grader Sam Goldrup.
To fill the role of Jimmy Carter, Sam adopted a Southern accent, wore his Nobel Peace Prize and even handed out bags of peanuts.
"Many people in Utah didn't vote for me. They called me a dumb peanut farmer from Georgia. The truth is, I was a peanut farmer and I am from Georgia," he said.
An important part of the event was learning about the life of their selected president, but through their research the students learned more than just facts and dates.
"When I got Jimmy Carter, I didn't think he was going to be as exciting as Abraham Lincoln or George Washington," Sam said. "After I started getting in to it, I thought he was going to be one of the good ones. I think he is really great."
The event was the culmination of two months' work, including a research paper, informational poster and memorizing their monologues.
"They have ownership in their learning," said Marty Austin, fifth-grade teacher. "They have been calling them 'my president.'
"They have become very knowledgeable. I'm teaching history and they pipe up and say, 'Oh, my president made that law,'ââââ" Austin said. "They start to make connections with the timeline. I think when you include drama with language arts that makes it very tangible to students. That's a plug for the arts."
The students took their roles very seriously, using props to help bring their presidents to life. The multiple Ronald Reagans wore cowboy hats and passed out jelly beans. Jacqueline Kennedy wore a pillbox hat. The earlier the president, the older the fashion, with many students wearing powdered-type white wigs.
One of those students was Trevin Knell as George Washington.
"I went in the army and lost all my teeth," he said. "My teeth were made out of gold, lead, ivory and hippopotamus teeth. That is why I don't smile in my pictures."
Trevin said the project was hard work, but worth it.
"It was kind of hard finding all the parts, but in the end it's really fun. In a book, you only get some information; with this, you get the whole thing. It's a lot more fun than just reading," he said.
In addition to historical facts, the students enjoyed telling the more personal side of their presidents.
"He has a lot of interesting facts that not a lot of people know," said fifth-grader Makae Rose, playing the part of John Adams. "He dropped out of school to be a farmer like his dad, and then his dad made him do really hard farm work until he decided school was probably a better option."
While there were not as many first ladies as presidents, they talked about the importance of their role for the country.
"I like how much she likes to help the environment and kids," said Jenny Warner, who portrayed Michelle Obama. "I wouldn't want to be president, but I might want to be a first lady. If you were the president, you don't really have time to spend with your kids. The president has to go away a lot."
Rachel Wesemann, playing President Reagan, said she would like to be president some day.
"I want to make the country better," she said. "Ronald Reagan was known for ending the Cold War, and I want to end the war in Iraq."
Parents and the fourth-grade students were invited to visit the wax museum to learn more about the American presidency.
"It's more hands-on, so he is retaining everything that he has learned about this president. We love it," said Becca Taylor, parent of Connor Taylor, who chose George W. Bush as his president.
"He thought it was the silliest thing ever that he was a cheerleader."
In addition to history, writing and research skills, the fifth-grade teachers hope the students learn more from their presidents' lives.
"The success of someone else can be motivating in their own lives," said teacher Amy Randall.
"I hope they get an appreciation for the sacrifices people make for our country. I think we might (have some future presidents in this class). I could see a couple of them on their way."
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Students learn about presidents, first ladies by become one
NORTH SALT LAKE -- Many children dream of one day becoming president of the United States. That day was Friday for fifth-graders at Orchard Elementary.
From George and Martha Washington to Barack and Michelle Obama, each of the 110 students stepped into the persona of a president or first lady, as part of the school's annual President Wax Museum.
"Hi y'all, I am the 39th president of the United States," said Sam Goldrup, fifth-grader.
To fill the role of Jimmy Carter, Sam adopted a southern accent, wore his Nobel Peace Prize and even handed out bags of peanuts.
"Many people in Utah didn't vote for me. They called me a dumb peanut farmer from Georgia. The truth is, I was a peanut farmer and I am from Georgia," he said.
An important part of the event was learning the life of their selected president, but through their research the students learned more than just facts and dates.
"When I got Jimmy Carter, I didn't think he was going to be as exciting as Abraham Lincoln or George Washington," Sam said. "After I started getting in to it, I thought he was going to be one of the good ones. I think he is really great."
The event was a culmination of two months work, including a research paper, informational poster and memorizing their monologues.
"They have ownership in their learning," said Marty Austin, fifth-grade teacher. "They have been calling them "my president.
"They have become very knowledgeable. I am teaching history and they pipe up and say, 'Oh, my president made that law,' " Austin said. "They start to make connections with the timeline. I think when you include drama with language arts that makes it very tangible to students. That's a plug for the arts."
The students took their roles very seriously, using props to help bring their president to life. The multiple Ronald Reagans wore cowboy hats and passed out jellybeans and Jacqueline Kennedy wore a pillbox hat. As the presidents got older, so did the fashion, with many students wearing powered-type white wigs.
One of those students was Trevin Knell as George Washington.
"I went in the army and lost all my teeth," he said. "My teeth were made out of gold, lead, ivory and hippopotamus teeth, that is why I don't smile in my pictures."
Trevin admitted the project was hard work, but worth it.
"It was kind of hard finding all the parts, but in the end it's really fun. In a book, you only get some information; with this, you get the whole thing. It's a lot more fun than just reading," he said.
In addition to historical facts, the students enjoyed telling the more personal side of their presidency.
"He has a lot of interesting facts that not a lot of people know," said fifth-grader Makae Rose, playing the part of John Adams. "He dropped out of school to be a farmer like his dad and then his dad made him do really hard farm work until he decided school was probably a better option."
While there were not as many first ladies as presidents, they talked about their important role for the country.
"I like how much she likes to help the environment and kids," said Jenny Warner as Michelle Obama. "I wouldn't want to be president, but I might want to be a first lady. If you were the president you don't really have time to spend with your kids. The president has to go away a lot."
Rachel Wesemann, playing Ronald Reagan, said she would like to be president some day.
"I want to make the country better," she said. "Ronald Regan was known for ending cold war and I want to end the war in Iraq."
Parents and the fourth-grade students were invited to visit the wax museum to learn more about the history of American presidency.
"It's more hands on, so he is retaining everything that he has learned about this president. We love it," said Becca Taylor, parent of Connor Taylor, who chose George W. Bush as his president. "He thought it was the silliest thing ever that he was a cheerleader."
In addition to history, writing and research skills, the fifth-grade teachers hope the students learn more from their presidents' lives.
"The success of someone else can be motivating in their own lives," said fifth-grade teacher Amy Randall. "I hope they get an appreciation for the sacrifices people make for our country. I think we might (have some future presidents in this class). I could see a couple of them on their way."
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