6th graders bring historical figures to life

Published 2:06 am Saturday, November 4, 2017

Friday morning, the square in downtown Andalusia was covered with famous faces as students from Andalusia Elementary School became historical figures for the school’s annual “Living History” day.

Students were allowed to pick who they wanted to represent, and the characters ranged from famous boxers to political figures and authors.

Devin Davis chose to portray Samuel Adams.

“I picked Samuel Adams because he made newspapers,” Davis said.

“Samuel Adams was born in 1722. He was a brewer and newspaper publisher before becoming the father of The Revolution. He also helped organize the Boston Tea Party. Later he was the governor of Massachusetts.”

Gracie Grissom chose Marie Curie.

“She was the first woman scientist to win a Nobel prize,” Grissom said.

“Marie was born in 1867. She knew five languages and graduated high school at only 15. She earned a master’s degree in physics and mathematics. She met Pierre Curie while studying in Paris and they both did research on radiation. Marie discovered and named radium.”

McKayla Daniels chose Anne Stuart because of her ability to unite and stand up for what she believed in.

“Queen Anne rebelled against her father and united England and Scotland,” Daniels said. “Anne was educated as most women were, and had limited education on history. She foresaw two major events during her reign. She married Prince George of Denmark and revolted against her father. She became the monarch, and was the first married queen to rule England.”

Talan Worley decided to represent Walt Disney because he was inspiring.

“Disney started out poor,” Worley said.

“Disney was born in 1901 in Illinois. He dropped out of high school at 16, and wanted to join the army but got rejected because he was too young. Disney’s first character was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Disney and his brother Roy co-founded Walt Disney Productions. He won 22 Academy Awards during his lifetime. Disney died of lung cancer in 1966.”

The teachers who helped coordinate this year’s event include Matthew McQuay, social studies; Lynn Castleberry, math; Cassie Battey, science, Jennifer Majors, reading, and Vanessa Snider, English/language.