Wax ecstatic Eddington fourth-graders resuscitate history with living museum

Coco Chanel, Jimi Hendrix, Eleanor Roosevelt and Elvis were at the Eddington Elementary School on Wednesday morning, hanging out with principal Don Spencer, school secretary Linda Pollard and a host of others.

The 38 characters were played by fourth-grade history pupils as well as their teachers, Valerie Palmer and Rebecca Jordan, who were hidden under the principal and secretary costumes.

The pupils jumped on the idea of creating a “live wax museum” while studying 20th century history, Palmer said.

“Some kids haven’t been able to sleep” because they were so excited about Wednesday’s performance, she said.

Fellow pupils at the school, friends and family got the opportunity to visit the “museum,” and the event went so well the program likely will return next year, Palmer said.

“It reaches the kids that don’t like history,” she said. “They’ll remember their character for the rest of their lives, and their friends’ characters.”

The Eddington pupils were given the assignment two weeks ago and came up with their own characters, a short report about the person’s history and their costumes.

“It’s a student-led program,” Palmer said.

“They all had to write a two-paragraph report at home,” Jordan said. “Most came up with really creative costumes.”

Jimi Hendrix, played by Jason Vallieres, had a black Afro-style wig with red bandana and held a guitar. His mustache and goatee were created with black marker.

“When my mom died in 1958, I started playing guitar,” Vallieres said when approached by museum visitors.

Coco Chanel, played by Robert Francis Lively Jr., was wearing a black wig and white and black flowing dress and spoke in a ‘French’ accent that sounded a lot like a deep Southern drawl.

“I designed many fashions in my childhood,” Lively said.

Lively said he wanted to be a fashion designer and narrowed his list to either Chanel or Christian Dior.

Elvis wore taped-on paper sideburns; Bill Gates had on a dress shirt and tie; Jim Henson had a long beard; and astronaut Sally Ride was easily identifiable in her orange space suit and helmet.

Jordan had on a wig that resembled the top of the principal’s balding head, and Palmer had on a wig with delicate golden blond curls that resembled Pollard’s hairdo.

“That is a riot,” the real Linda Pollard said.