Post by sparklingblue on Oct 17, 2003 17:49:43 GMT -5
Students wax poetic in an ode to heroes
www.greenwichtime.com/news/local/scn-gt-wax3oct16,0,924404.story?coll=green-news-local-headlines
By Ivan H. Golden
Staff Writer
October 16, 2003
Clad in black from head to toe, with a robotic hand dangling from his right shirtsleeve and a grisly scar marring his left cheek, Gary Carriero made for a strange sight inside the doorway at Whitby School, where he stood motionless for nearly an hour yesterday morning.
Only when someone dropped a penny into a jar at his feet did the slight 12-year-old come to life, shedding some light on what he and his classmates were doing.
"Arnold Schwarzenegger," Gary said, projecting his voice theatrically. "From bodybuilder to actor to California governor."
Gary then went on to list some of Schwarzenegger's career highlights, beginning with bodybuilding titles in the 1960s and culminating in his election last week.
Gary's performance was part of Whitby School's annual wax museum, in which fifth- and sixth-grade students learn about and then act out the lives of some of their heroes.
The students can select whomever they want, and the range of characters represented at yesterday's wax museum reflected that: In addition to Schwarzenegger, there were historical figures such as Susan B. Anthony and Thomas Jefferson, contemporary athletes Mia Hamm and Ichiro Suzuki, and entertainers such as Shirley Temple and Pierce Brosnan.
Nicole Butterfield, an upper elementary teacher at Whitby School, said the wax museum is a long-standing tradition at the Montessori school, and accomplishes several educational goals.
The fifth- and sixth-grade students who perform learn about their subjects, usually by reading a book during the summer and sometimes by consulting other sources.
The students also learn about public speaking, perspective and the importance of practice and memorization, Butterfield said.
"We want (the subject) to be someone they choose, so they have some ownership of it," she said. "That's what Montessori schools are all about, giving kids choice."
Younger students who visited the wax museum, meanwhile, learned about some of the historical, political and social figures who were represented, Butterfield said.
Carriero said Schwarzeneg-ger is his favorite actor, and he has seen most of the novice politician's movies. But, he continued, he had to do a lot of research in the past few weeks to keep his speech up to date.
In contrast, Cody Nilsen, who chose to portray Saca-gawea, said she knew little about her subject until reading a book during the summer. In the early 1800s, Sacagawea helped Lewis and Clark in their expedition across the American West and Pacific Northwest.
"All I knew before I read the book was that she was an Indian," Cody said.
For her performance, the 10-year-old baked corn muffins for her classmates and made her own costume, which included an elaborate belt and jewelry.
Hiro Kusumoto, 10, who chose Ichiro Suzuki, wore a replica of the Seattle Mariners' outfielder's uniform and idly swung an aluminum bat as he recounted some of Ichiro's career highlights, from the Japanese leagues to the major leagues.
"I already knew he was a good hitter and fielder," said Hiro, who was born in Japan and said he likes Ichiro in part because he is also Japanese. "But I learned all about his past from the book."
Copyright © 2003, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.
www.greenwichtime.com/news/local/scn-gt-wax3oct16,0,924404.story?coll=green-news-local-headlines
By Ivan H. Golden
Staff Writer
October 16, 2003
Clad in black from head to toe, with a robotic hand dangling from his right shirtsleeve and a grisly scar marring his left cheek, Gary Carriero made for a strange sight inside the doorway at Whitby School, where he stood motionless for nearly an hour yesterday morning.
Only when someone dropped a penny into a jar at his feet did the slight 12-year-old come to life, shedding some light on what he and his classmates were doing.
"Arnold Schwarzenegger," Gary said, projecting his voice theatrically. "From bodybuilder to actor to California governor."
Gary then went on to list some of Schwarzenegger's career highlights, beginning with bodybuilding titles in the 1960s and culminating in his election last week.
Gary's performance was part of Whitby School's annual wax museum, in which fifth- and sixth-grade students learn about and then act out the lives of some of their heroes.
The students can select whomever they want, and the range of characters represented at yesterday's wax museum reflected that: In addition to Schwarzenegger, there were historical figures such as Susan B. Anthony and Thomas Jefferson, contemporary athletes Mia Hamm and Ichiro Suzuki, and entertainers such as Shirley Temple and Pierce Brosnan.
Nicole Butterfield, an upper elementary teacher at Whitby School, said the wax museum is a long-standing tradition at the Montessori school, and accomplishes several educational goals.
The fifth- and sixth-grade students who perform learn about their subjects, usually by reading a book during the summer and sometimes by consulting other sources.
The students also learn about public speaking, perspective and the importance of practice and memorization, Butterfield said.
"We want (the subject) to be someone they choose, so they have some ownership of it," she said. "That's what Montessori schools are all about, giving kids choice."
Younger students who visited the wax museum, meanwhile, learned about some of the historical, political and social figures who were represented, Butterfield said.
Carriero said Schwarzeneg-ger is his favorite actor, and he has seen most of the novice politician's movies. But, he continued, he had to do a lot of research in the past few weeks to keep his speech up to date.
In contrast, Cody Nilsen, who chose to portray Saca-gawea, said she knew little about her subject until reading a book during the summer. In the early 1800s, Sacagawea helped Lewis and Clark in their expedition across the American West and Pacific Northwest.
"All I knew before I read the book was that she was an Indian," Cody said.
For her performance, the 10-year-old baked corn muffins for her classmates and made her own costume, which included an elaborate belt and jewelry.
Hiro Kusumoto, 10, who chose Ichiro Suzuki, wore a replica of the Seattle Mariners' outfielder's uniform and idly swung an aluminum bat as he recounted some of Ichiro's career highlights, from the Japanese leagues to the major leagues.
"I already knew he was a good hitter and fielder," said Hiro, who was born in Japan and said he likes Ichiro in part because he is also Japanese. "But I learned all about his past from the book."
Copyright © 2003, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.
