Famous figures

FAMOUS FOUR: Fifth-graders at Brown Avenue Elementary School in Johnston put on a Living Wax Museum last week. Peter Bibby, left, and Cameron Salois, front, played the roles of famous sports figures Michael Jordan and Babe Ruth. Sarah Gasbarro, center, told about the life of professional surfer Bethany Hamilton, who survived a vicious shark attack, and Emily Iannuccilli portrayed Shoshoni Indian Sacagawea, a guide on the legendary Lewis and Clark Expedition.

EGYPTIAN QUEEN: Principal Helina Dlugon listens as Alexia Evangelista describes the life of Cleopatra.

Submitted photos

ACCOMPLISHED WOMEN: From left, Savhanna Larivee (Amelia Earhart), Sydney Nogueira (Jane Goodall) and Lily Scuncio (Annie Oakley) portrayed three prominent women in history.

HEROES OF HISTORY: Aidan Araujo, left, transformed himself into Benjamin Franklin, while Jake Ponto told the life of Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in the Major Leagues, and Kasem Sasa played the part of legendary martial artist Bruce Lee.

Posted Thursday, April 23, 2015 5:05 pm

First Lady Michelle Obama, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and NBA legend Michael Jordan made an appearance of sorts at Brown Avenue Elementary School in Johnston last week, as Mrs. Leone’s and Mrs. Martino’s fifth-grade classes transformed the cafeteria into a Living Wax Museum.

The museum – which also featured African-American civil rights activist Rosa Parks, actress and humanitarian Audrey Hepburn, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin and Holocaust survivor Anne Frank, among many others – was the culmination of a two-month project in which the students each selected a famous figure, read a biography and then wrote their own short biography about him or her. The fifth-graders then dressed as the character and gave oral presentations to the younger students and their parents, explaining the positive influence that the individual had on society.