On Tuesday, March 10, Kearney Elementary third-graders transformed their learning into something truly memorable through a Wax Museum Project Based Learning experience that brought famous Missourians to life.

With impressive care and creativity, students researched notable figures from Missouri history, designed display boards filled with important facts, wrote scripts and dressed in costume to portray the people they had studied. When visitors pressed the “button” on a student’s hand, each young historian came to life to share what they had learned.

The museum featured an outstanding range of Missourians, including Walt Disney, Harry Truman, Molly Brown, Laura Ingalls Wilder and Josephine Baker. Beyond the costumes and presentations, the project asked students to think deeply, read closely, write clearly and speak with confidence, all while making meaningful connections to the lives and legacies of people who helped shape our state and nation.

“This is the kind of learning experience that gives students a chance to apply important academic skills in a way that feels authentic and exciting,” Dr. Mitch Masker said. “Our third-graders did much more than memorize facts. They researched, wrote, organized information and presented their learning to an audience. It was a wonderful example of how Project Based Learning can make the curriculum come alive for students.”

The event was a joy to see, and the pride our students took in their work was evident in every presentation. We are grateful to our third-grade team at Kearney Elementary for creating such a rich learning opportunity and proud of our students for the thought, effort and enthusiasm they brought to the experience. This is a great example of the world-class public education that is experienced by our students every class day across Kearney School District.