Fifth-graders bring history to life

MEEKER I It has been said that noteworthy people never come to Meeker, but on Nov. 17 Barone Middle School enjoyed the company of very important people as Meeker Elementary School fifth-graders presented “Night at the Museum.”
A span of 300 years — 1600 to 1900 — were represented in the commons area. Some of those in attendance included the “unsinkable” Molly Brown, Thomas Edison, James Wesley Powell, George Washington, Davy Crockett, Princess Diana, Annie Oakley, Dr. Seuss, Amelia Earhart, Theodore Roosevelt, Chipita, Orville Wright, Albert Einstein, Jackie Robinson, John F. Kennedy, Elvis Presley and many more. 
Each student chose a famous person who had made a contribution to American history. The students researched the person, read at least a 100-page biography about that person’s life, then wrote a five-page essay.
To  prepare for the evening’s presentation they practiced being interviewed by eighth grade students and volunteer parents. The students dressed the part, set up props and made posters.
The young people sat around a table. A button was pushed and the students began giving an  oral highlight of the life of the famous person they were representing. 
The young people were very well prepared. Upon leaving the “museum” spectators felt they knew that famous person a little better. 
Fifth-grade teachers Paulette Hanks and Kristen Henderson are to be commended for the success of this special evening.