Mundelein-area kids celebrate African American History Month

Fifth-grader Cory Wagner was absolutely silent as he stood in the Fremont Intermediary School hallway with his right arm raised.

He remained that way until the visitor before him tapped the small "Please Press Here" sticker on the back of his right hand.

That small gesture turned Cory into a living recreation of Martin Luther King Jr. Speaking as the civil rights leader, Wagner spoke about King's life, his work and his death.

Cory was one of about 250 fifth-graders at the Mundelein-area school who celebrated African American History Month in February by creating a living wax museum starring black historical figures.

Baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, musician Louis Armstrong, scientist and inventor George Washington Carver and Olympic athlete Wilma Rudolph were among the many other people brought to life for the event.

Patrick J. Hurley chose to portray scientist and astronaut Ronald McNair, one of the seven astronauts who died when the space shuttle Challenger exploded in 1986.

"He's a great scientist," explained Patrick, who was wearing a white lab coat and holding a model rocket. "I'm a fan of space and science, and he seemed like the right guy for me."

Gregory Godellas portrayed baseball slugger Hank Aaron. Wearing a homemade Milwaukee Braves uniform, Gregory talked about Aaron's childhood and his time playing in the Negro Leagues.

Gregory chose Aaron because he is his favorite ballplayer. But before starting his research, Gregory didn't know black baseball players had their own league before the Major Leagues were integrated.

Fremont School District 79 Superintendent Rick Taylor praised the students' work, especially the memorized oral reports each gave about the people they had researched.

"It's a great skill," Taylor said.

The annual project also exposes the students to the country's "very rich" black history, Taylor said.