With just a deep purple dress and a slouchy black hat, Moriah Miller transformed herself into "Unsinkable" Molly Brown, one of the Titanic's most famous survivors.

Moriah, a fifth-grader at Paradise Valley Elementary, is taking part in a workshop hosted by Painted Past Productions. Students are researching and writing reports about historic figures they've chosen, and will present their work to their classrooms when the workshop ends.

"I decided to do Painted Past because I love researching," Moriah said. "And Molly Brown is really cool. I love the Titanic."

Painted Past regularly puts on shows for Natrona County schools featuring famous historic figures, but this is the first time they've helped students take on the roles themselves, said director Donna Fisher. Painted Past members have around 40 different characters they perform for educational entertainment at schools.

Fisher said Paradise Valley contacted her after a few Painted Past members performed at the school. Students there wanted to play the parts, she said.

"What better reward can you have than that?" Fisher said. "It's way exciting."

Students in kindergarten through sixth grade are participating in the project. After spring break in March, Fisher and her assistant Angel Capone will work with a new group of students on presentations.

"They do all their own research," Fisher said. "They know exactly what to do."

Every Wednesday, 24 students take over the library around 1 p.m. to do research and type interesting facts about their chosen character. Fisher and Capone wander from student to student, making sure research is accurate and asking questions of the students.

Students can stay for the whole two hours that Capone and Fisher are staked out in the school's library, or they can come and go if they have other classes.

Allowing students to chose their own characters has proven to be an interesting experience, Fisher said. When one kindergartener said he wanted to be Boba Fett, a Star Wars character, Fisher and Capone had to assure him that being Attila the Hun would be just as cool.

"All the kids wanted to do this," Fisher said. "They're really excited and enthusiastic about it."

Reach education reporter Jasa Santos at (307) 266-0593 or at Jasa.Santos@trib.com.