CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — The likes of George Washington, Elvis Presley and Harriet Tubman were all seen in Champaign this afternoon — but no, it’s not Halloween yet.

Instead, students at Judah Christian School held their annual Wax Museum Project. Fifth-grade students picked a historical person of relevance and have spent the last month researching them in preparation for their annual living “wax museum.” The event happened right outside the school, where families and teachers would approach the students and hear the history behind that figure.

Fifth-grade teacher Tammy Lowry said this experience could be a catalyst for their continued education.

“It’s good for them to learn about the past and then they can apply things that they’ve learned now and into the future,” she said. “It helps them to dive into books right away at the beginning of the year and find out interesting information.”

Principal Tamara Llano, whose son was once a part of the Wax Museum Project, said students are beginning to explore their own interests through researching these icons.

“They’re at that age where they can go in a lot of different directions,” Llano said. “So if some friends are really interested in athletics, this is a great opportunity to read about those icons. Some will get into history, some will get into politics. There’s a whole array of things that they can do. This is a really great age to start exploring.”

The kids covered all the bases of American history. Just ask fifth-grader Asher Orban, who researched and dressed as professional baseball player Derek Jeter.

“The experience of reading all these books, watching some of his famous clips that he’s done, it’s just really cool to watch and study him,” he said.