First graders at Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Hartford (SSDS) slipped into a slew of starring roles one recent afternoon, to present the annual — and inspirational — “Hero Show,” produced by their teacher, Joyce Ben-Kiki. Each student chose a person whose accomplishment(s) left the world a better place. Students researched their heroes, then created presentations in which they dressed like them and explained why they are inspirational figures. Among this year’s heroes: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Neil Armstrong, Emma Lazarus, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Jane Goodall, Benjamin Franklin, Eleanor Roosevelt, Moses, Hannah Senesh, Georgia O’Keeffe, Audrey Hepburn, Charlie Chaplin, Solomon Schechter, President Theodore Roosevelt, President George Washington, King David, and President Thomas Jefferson.

CAP: SSDS teacher Joyce Ben-Kiki with her first-grade “heroes”: (standing, l to r) Aedan Mitchell, Alexandra Golder, Marcus Bitton, Noam Berkowitz, Nisim Kalmar, Jonah Resnick, Isaac Covici, Noah Kabakoff and Max Resnick; (seated, l to r) Eliana Lakenbach, David Medvedovski, Esther Faylayev, Olivia Boustani, Alexandra Weinstein, Amaia Potashner, Milo Cohen and Shira Tuvin.