The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Emery Meyer as Sir Francis Drake. Photo by Greg Strannigan

Sir Francis Drake, El Cid, Queen Esther and others visited Sisters last week as Sonrise Christian School turned into a museum of sorts on Thursday, October 24.

Nine seventh and eighth grade students participated in the school's Living History Museum.

"We want students to learn information in a variety of ways," said Social Studies teacher Deborah Halsten. "The students learn about a person from history, and then must teach others about their character and create a display that illustrates their character in a creative fashion, complete with props, etc. The purpose is to make history come alive for the students."

The students first pick a character to study from history. Ashton Petit chose to be El Cid, the Christian warrior who fought against the Moors in medieval Spain.

"I think he chose El Cid because of the video game," said the teacher.

Eighth grader Cammy Jacobson chose Phillis Wheatley, the first black woman poet in America.

"I was struck by her life," she said. "Her travel to America on board a slave ship was a nightmare. But, if she had remained in Africa, nobody would have ever heard of her or her poetry. Through her poetry, she made the best of a bad situation."

After selecting an historical figure, the students researched and wrote a paper. Lastly, they created a scene and dressed up to impersonate the character.

"They memorize a five minute talk, but most of the students go longer than five minutes," said Halsten. "Martin Luther is very theatrical, but they all do a good job of staying in character."