NEWBURYPORT — From Holocaust victim Anne Frank and activist Jane Addams to baseball legend Babe Ruth and scientist Albert Einstein, River Valley Charter School upper elementary students on Friday became historic figures for the school’s annual Dead & Famous Day.
“We’ve been doing Dead & Famous for years and years here. The younger kids do mystery history, and when they come into upper elementary, they do Dead and Famous. They’re performing as somebody who’s both dead and famous,” upper elementary teacher Ali Fields said.
Fourth- through sixth-grade students were spaced out throughout classrooms upstairs, with parents popping around to listen to the various presentations and check out all the different costumes.
Fields said the kids work on the project for about a month and a half, and then “become the characters in the wax museum.”
“They get to pick. It just has to be somebody who’s made a positive difference in the world,” Fields said.
She spoke about some of her favorite historical figures being represented by the students.
“I’m really glad that Susan B. Anthony is being represented since she’s talking about how important it is for women to vote. That seems relevant right now. Other people are great, too. Jane Addams is over there,” Fields said.
Susan B. Anthony was represented by fifth-grader Ruby Connerton wearing a simple black dress like one Anthony wore as well as a sticker promoting women’s right to vote. At her little station, she also had a board urging folks to vote.
Asked why she chose Anthony, Connerton said she learned about her from her mom.
“I thought it was very important at this time. I thought voting was very important for women’s rights and to make everyone feel equal,” Connerton said.
She gave a little snippet of her presentation.
“As a child, I always believed things weren’t fair. Back when I was alive, women weren’t able to vote, it was illegal. Once, I went to jail for trying to vote. I held out my hands willingly. I thought the only way to make change was to take action, so I did,” Connerton said.
Fellow fifth-grader Layla Mitchell chose Frank for the day, having already known a good amount about her.
“Me and my dad read her diary together one time,” Mitchell said.
She said she still learned some new facts.
“I knew a lot about her, but I learned that she moved when she was four to the Netherlands from Europe. I also learned about all the rules that prevented her from doing things. That was kind of interesting,” Mitchell said.
Looking around the room, she said she was excited to hear some of the other presentations.
“I want to see Princess Diana and Jane Addams. There are a lot of interesting people out there that I still need to learn about,” Mitchell said.
Fields said her favorite part of the day is how proud the kids are.
“They put a lot of work into it – they do research, write their speeches, memorize them, and they feel really good about it. Their parents do, too. The whole community comes together,” Fields said.
Matt Petry covers Amesbury and Salisbury for The Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: mpetry@northofboston.com.