Rebecca M. Enk, Demetria Smith, Stacy Luchman and Deanna Singh

As a way of highlighting a historical period and bringing its influential figures to life, Enk and her three colleagues at Milwaukee Renaissance Academy propose the development of "The Living History Museum". By fully embracing earlier times and embodying historic figures through dress, words and gestures, students see history as a reality that has shaped their future. In addition to recreating characters, students also design costumes and construct sets that represent each time period. The six-week process culminates with the opening of "The Living History Museum" for families and the general public to tour. It's an interactive way for students to learn about the past and offers faculty and community involvement. Watching history come to life stirs a new level of academic learning in the students and creates new opportunities for parents and the community to interact with students as they discover the richness of history.