For the second year, Stories that Soar! brings its magical potion to Mission Manor. This special blend of literacy, arts and self expression transforms normal elementary school students into playwrights, poets and scribes.
Creating eager young writers might sound farfetched, but a talking, balloon-burping, bejeweled box that begs students to “feed it” with stories is hard to ignore.
“The Magic Box made me like writing more and get more creative,” says Zarah, a fifth grader at Mission Manor. And Zarah is not alone, 250 stories were stuffed into the magic box by students last month.[singlepic id=50 w=320 h=240 float=right]
The entire school gathered for the Stories that Soar! performance and students were vibrating with excitement to see their words and ideas leap off the page and onto the stage. Young people embrace the creative process of writing and self expression and sometimes creative problem solving. “My friend and I were arguing about whose idea we should use for the story, then we decided to write a story together about our argument! We’re going to write more stories together next year.” ~3rd grade author.
Some of the more visual stories will be use by middle and high school students to learn editing and publishing as they create books from the stories written. The books will be distributed to the local branch of the library, to daycare centers and in the waiting rooms of local pediatricians.
“When I saw my story being performed I was nervous and excited because everyone was watching me. I want to write more so it happens again!” ~5th grader. A 4th grade author shared, “This is the best day of my life!!”
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