From Michael Jackson and Helen Keller, to Albert Einstein and Prince William, some of the world’s most famous figures paid a visit to John Small Elementary School last week.

The school hosted a fun, exciting day for students and parents last week as part of its Wax Museum. Students researched and dressed up as a famous person from history and presented their findings to visitors.

Although the event was fun, teacher Kathryn Bryant said the activity was more than just dressing up.

“This project involved more than a study about a person’s life. The students practiced writing, research and presentation skills and learned the technology behind green screen videos. They wrote their own video scripts, chose the background videos and had to figure out where to stand, so they wouldn’t block the pictures,” Bryant said in an email. “We had many great discussions about the importance of rewriting information in our own words and citing sources, as well as how to find relevant facts in text.”

Fifth-grader Leah Smithwick, also known as Levi Strauss, said she didn’t know who her person from history was before this activity.

Smithwick said she had to read books about Strauss and cite them in her work. Students also had to present their work on tri-fold boards as part of the project.

“We had to research about him,” she said. “At first, it was tricky.”

Brandy Lopez, a fifth-grader who masqueraded as Helen Keller, said she remembered Keller from a lesson in second grade.

Lopez said she did learn new facts about Keller, however, including that she met 12 United States presidents in her lifetime and was the first person in America to own an Akita dog breed.

Bryant said the students were encouraged to step into the shoes of the people they were researching — thinking like them and thinking about what would be important to them.

“They were also challenged to learn lessons from the people they studied. I was surprised at the ways they were inspired, naming traits like loyalty, independence and persistence, all on their own,” Bryant said. “My students are learning what it means to have a strong work ethic. I was very impressed with their perseverance. I asked a lot of them in this project, and they truly rose to the occasion.”