Living lessons at Elburn school's 'museum'

Henry Ford and Jim Henson worked the room.

Derrek Lee and Muhammad Ali were there too.

FDR stopped to listen to Elvis Presley talk about his life.

And then many of their parents showed up.

A bevy of historical figures came to life last week at John Stewart Elementary School in Elburn as third-graders portrayed folks ranging from American pioneers right up to Michael Phelps during their "Biography Living History Museum."

In its third year, the program is put together by teachers Katie Reilly and Kim Lienhardt. Their 50 students take about a month choosing and researching their subjects in preparation for the performance. The costumed students took turns picking a spot in the multipurpose room waiting for other students or parents to tap them on the shoulder so they could launch into their "autobiography."

The teachers see myriad benefits.

"Between the two classes we had about 45 different people that the kids learned about, not just the one they studied," Reilly said. "I really like the research aspect of it too. They worked in the library and on the Internet, and did a lot work with their parents."

Lienhardt really appreciated the enthusiasm.

"The kids worked really hard and they were really excited."

Third-grader Matthew Gombar, who portrayed Jackie Robinson, was certainly excited.

"It was really, really cool how we were able to dress up and learn about people we didn't know much about," he said.

He said he chose Jackie Robinson because he was trying to decide between a famous baseball player or a soccer player, but figured it would be easier to get a baseball uniform.

After reading a book about Jackie Robinson, he decided he wanted to portray him so his classmates could learn more about him too. "He was the first African-American baseball player, and he got a hit one out of every three times he batted. He was really good."

For Louis Reed, it gave him a chance to work with his twin brother, Mac. They chose Lewis and Clark. Learning about the famous pair started with the basics.

"I had heard about him (Lewis), but I didn't know his first name," Louis said.

Turns out it's Meriwether. And how did he and his brother decide who would play Lewis and who would be William Clark?

"Well, I'm Louis, so I was Lewis," Louis said.