Ninth Graders Curate Ancient Egyptian Mini Museum

In Foundations of World History, ninth grade students learn to think and work like historians,  analyzing artifacts to uncover the narratives of ancient cultures. As a result, students have been working yearlong not just to identify artifacts, but to appreciate their symbolic power as seen in visual art, various pieces of literature, and architectural remains.

This past month, the students curated their own ancient Egyptian mini museum – complete with engaging artifacts, expert videos, and glowing holograms. The multimedia exhibit is a testament to what’s possible when students become leaders in their learning and collaborate closely with teachers, staff, and other students at St. Luke’s (a big thank you to the innovative TE(A)CH). The ninth graders jumped at the chance to explore Egyptian society across modalities. They identified historical objects and thrust them into (digital) conversation with overarching themes, such as gender, power, and spirituality. 

Students chose which approach excited them most: using technology to bring artifacts to life or calling on their artistic skills to create tactile pieces. As a result, tangible re-creations of broad collars, ceremonial flails, and cosmetics containers accompanied hologram statues, combs, and board games. Using phones and iPads to scan QR codes featured throughout the exhibit, attendees experienced a blending of the physical and virtual worlds, with one foot in modernity and the other in ancient Egypt. 

Makeda West ‘26 shared, “My favorite part of the Ancient Egypt unit was learning about important historical figures that many people don’t know about. These people who have been forgotten in today’s society were the ones who made Egypt so powerful.”