Movie stars, inventors, billionaires, painters, presidents and other historic figures came to life Thursday morning at Jemison Middle School’s first ever Wax Museum.

“We wanted to be able to incorporate something that included writing, research and speaking skills so we thought a wax museum would be a lot of fun,” said JMS teacher Benita Chapman. “All of the students did a great job.”

Chapman said many hours of research and creativity went into each student’s project, and 140 fifth graders at JMS presented their projects this week to Chapman and JMS teacher Sarah Robinson.

“We let them pick a historical figure they would like to research, and they really took the idea and ran with it,” Chapman said. “When some of them showed up this morning in their costumes, we were blown away by how much time they put into this.”

Some of the students presented their projects for fellow classmates at the school Thursday morning, and planned to present their projects for parents and guardians on Thursday night.

Fifth grader Mary Haysley Gillespie chose to portray Hedy Lamarr, an actress and co-inventor of what eventually became Wi-Fi.

Gillespie said she chose that particular character because Lamarr was a famous actress and she invented something Gillespie often uses.

“I thought it was pretty cool and didn’t know that she invented Wi-Fi until I started studying about her,” Gillespie said. “She invented something so many people now use.”

Juliana Nunn chose to portray Judith Resnik, an astronaut, after trying to find a person who made a difference in the world.

“Judith Resnik wanted to go to space when no other women did,” Nunn said. “I also found out while researching her that she would help a lot of people with different problems or situations, and I really liked that about her.”

Dressed in a blue-collared button down shirt with a necktie, Brisco Smith portrayed Bill Gates.

“I picked Bill Gates because I use computers almost every day,” Smith said. “Plus, Bill Gates has a lot of money and is just really cool.”

Smith shared various facts about Gates he found during his research including that Gates makes $250 every second.

“He is the 37th richest country by himself,” Smith said.

Standing alongside Smith was Camden Cummings decked out in camouflage and a gray colored beard with sunglasses.

Cummings represented Phil Robertson, a professional hunter who is also featured on the television show “Duck Dynasty.”

“I picked Phil Robertson because he is a good person, and he has inspired me to be a better hunter,” Cummings said. “I use his duck call when I go , and it has really helped me.”

Alexis Redd picked Dennis Weatherby, a football player who invented Cascade.

“I thought it was neat how he didn’t want people staining their dishes so he came up with Cascade,” Redd said.

Grace Ann Biel chose to represent Amelia Earhart due to how “courageous” Earhart was to learn to fly.

“She stood up for what she wanted to do,” Biel said. “She did this during a time when a lot of men flew airplanes and she was really strong.”