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Picking a famous black historical figure to study for Black History Month was easy for Wayman Griffith, a fifth-grader at the Mitchellville School of Mathematics, Science and Technology in Bowie. Coming from a family of doctors, Wayman chose Benjamin Carson, the famed neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins University.
"My mom and dad are both doctors, and I wanted to see what it was like," Wayman said.
It also meant he had easy access to a great costume, complete with blue scrubs, a stethoscope from his dad and head lamp from his mom — perfect props for his school's live wax museum exhibition.
At the school's second Blacks in Wax program, held Feb. 26, the students donned costumes representative of the historical black scientists, inventors and healers they studied in class and then "came to life" when prompted by student tour guides to tell short biographies of the characters.
"We wanted the students to understand that everyone's contribution is important," said Phyllis Kenner, the first- through third-grade teacher who directed the program. "It helps the children understand the things we use every day that we take for granted."
While the school paid tribute to black entertainers last year, it wanted to honor black scientists this year to keep in step with the private school's emphasis on math and science, Kenner said.
Other famous notables included mechanical engineer Elijah McCoy, who invented the lubricator cup for train cars, and dermatologist Theodore Lawless, whose philanthropic ventures earned him the 1954 Spingarn Medal from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Many of the school's 33 students said they had not heard of the accomplishments of the famous people they played in the wax program, but after studying them, they took inspiration from their accomplishments.
Donning a white lab coat and stethoscope, third-grader Nyah Abraham of Bowie said she was impressed by the story of physician Halle Tanner Johnson, the first female physician to practice medicine in Alabama and the first resident physician at Tuskegee University in Alabama.
"I thought that was really cool," said Nyah, who wants to be a veterinarian.
Taking a break from his tour, Ralph Parker, father of fifth-grader Savannah Parker, who played esteemed cancer researcher Dr. Jane C. Wright, said both he and his daughter learned a lot about black history while studying for her part.
"There are many people who have come before them who were the first at something that they didn't know about," said Parker, of Bowie.
By learning about these accomplishments, students get a goal to work toward, Parker said.
After the wax exhibition, students gave speeches by Martin Luther King Jr. and President Obama, alternating between cheers of "Yes, we can" and "I have a dream" to show the comparison and contrast between both men's speaking style and message.
E-mail Andrea Noble at anoble@gazette.net.
