June 22, 2007

Using their gifts: ‘Wax museum’ helps class support juvenile diabetes research

St. Luke School fourth-grade student Samantha Mark portrays Frances Slocum in teacher Tara Land’s wax museum concept. (Submitted photo)

St. Luke School fourth-grade student Samantha Mark portrays Frances Slocum in teacher Tara Land’s wax museum concept. (Submitted photo)

Special to The Criterion

Dressed as famous Hoosiers, the fourth-grade students stood like figures in a wax museum until someone dropped coins into the tin cans they held.

When they heard the “clinking” sound, the students came alive, telling the story of the way their historical Indiana resident made a positive impact on their community and their state.

By the time the 69 students at St. Luke School in Indianapolis finished their

end-of-school-year performances, they had made their own difference in the lives of others—raising more than $1,300 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in the hope of finding a cure for the condition that affects two of their classmates.

“Smiles on my students’ faces were a clear sign to all that they knew what kind of job they were doing,” says Tara Land, a fourth-grade teacher at St. Luke School, who developed the wax museum approach.

Land couldn’t stop smiling herself as she watched the students perform for their parents, grandparents and teachers in the school’s cafeteria on May 31.

“They were proud, energetic and determined to use their hard work and the gifts that God has blessed them with to help their classmates and other children in Indiana,” Land says. “Yes, they did learn a tremendous amount of knowledge about Indiana and their researched person. However, the greatest lesson they learned was that each of them made a positive difference, and they can use their gifts to serve the Lord and help his children.”

After their wax museum performances, the students returned to their classrooms to hear how their efforts made a difference.

“When I told them that they had raised more than $1,300 to help their classmates, friends and family, the classroom erupted with screams, hugs and high-fives,” Land recalls. “They knew in their hearts that they had served the Lord.” †

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