History brought to life at PC Museum

A total of 46 students portrayed 46 members of their families last Tuesday at the Phillips County Museum as Malta Middle School history teacher Delmer Henry brought his troops over for a wax museum presentation for the third straight year.

"It's a great way for these children to learn about their family histories and what I have noticed over the past three years is the parents seem to get as big of a kick out of it as the kids do," Henry said.

Ahead of the wax museum event, history students are tasked with researching the family member they will dress up as at the event, make storyboards to go along with their presentations and, at the event, break into groups of three. Once the event gets underway, audience members step on little paper dots to activate the students who pop to life as the person they are portraying.

"As a young child, I always dreamed of becoming a model," said Jade Imlay, playing the role of her great-great-grandmother, Emma Maria Schmidt, who passed away in 1987. "Sadly, I was never able to. I was raised to be a proper woman and proper women were not allowed to be models."

While most students focused their attention on family members from generations ago, Jeslyn McCorkle decided to portray her cousin Spencer Barnes who passed away seven years ago at a young age.

"I wanted to learn more about him because I barely know anything about him," she said. "I learned that he lived in a lot of different places and about some of the things he liked and where he worked."

The event went on for about an hour with the children giving their presentation numerous times.

Since Henry's history class started this event three years ago, some students are asked to come back and perform again forthe Phillips County Historical Society at the H.G. Robinson House in early September each year and the Phillips County Historical said they will be bringing students back again this year for the 2019 event.