KJHS teachers turn fun into learning opportunity
While coming up with an idea for Kosciusko Junior High to celebrate Halloween, Quest teacher Darcy Bingham asked faculty and staff to dress as literary or historical characters.
In addition to having some fun, the faculty turned the fun into a learning environment. Bingham created information sheets for faculty members to post outside their classrooms, displaying pertinent facts about their characters and their importance as historical or pop icons. Throughout the school day, history classes toured the building and stopped outside each classroom to fill out questionnaires about each historical character, making the day an educational experience.
Faculty embraced the concept, showing up to school on Halloween dressed as characters from history, literature, sports and pop culture. There was general agreement among staff that the favorite costume of the day was worn by coach Shelby Kuhn, who arrived as Mall Cop Paul Blart, roaming the halls on his scooter making sure that the building was safe from crime.
Other pop culture icons costumes included Steve Jobs, Mary Poppins, Rosie the Riveter and Captain Jack Sparrow. Jackie McElwain dressed as Minnie Pearl, Assistant Principal Glenn Stevens showed up as John Wayne, and Assistant Principal Macy Wilbanks came as Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan. Historical figures like Amelia Earhart, Clara Barton, Tadeusz Kosciuszko and Betsy Ross were also represented. A few sports figures even showed up, such as Babe Ruth and Serena Williams. Native Americans Pocahontas and Sacagawea made appearances, as did former first ladies Nancy Reagan and Jackie Kennedy.
ICT teacher Caleb Sanders, dressed as KFC founder Colonel Harlan Sanders, had the most unique experience of the day when he went to KFC to ask for his prop, the iconic red and white chicken bucket. The staff there took his picture gave him special pricing for his fried chicken.
When discussing the success of the activity, Principal Jackie McElwain said the event fun for the teachers when the students started seeing them and tried guessing their characters. Guesses eventually progressed into lots of question about the historical figures, and McElwain said it was satisfying to see how much the students learned throughout the day.
Historical, sports, literary and pop culture characters for the day were Amelia Earhart, Sarah Palin, Rosie the Riveter, Statue of Liberty, Mary Poppins, Betsy Ross, Colonel Sanders, Dorothy Gale, Kerri Walsh Jennings, Carrie Fisher, Steve Jobs, Dr. Apgar, Julia Child, Clara Barton Dottie Schroeder, Pocahontas, Pilgrim, Nancy Reagan, Jacquelyn Kennedy Onassis, Sandra Day O’Connor, Tadeusz Kosciuszko, Sacagawea, Frizzle, Serena Williams, Annie Oakley, Cher, Anne Sullivan, Sally Ride, Saban, Christa McAuliffe, Mary Lou Retton, Harper Lee, Bill Gates, John Wayne, Paul Bunyan, Paul Blart, Babe Ruth, Dr. Bailey, Nevada Barr, Grace Kelly, Cindi Lauper, Charlie Brown, Forest Gump, Morgan Freeman, Marilyn Monroe, Captain Jack Sparrow, Sandra Bullock and Bill Nye.
