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In their own words Student storytellers bring life to mystical tales at annual county competition By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Once upon a time - well, actually on Wednesday - children from schools throughout Jackson County gathered together to tell fairy tales. One after another, 113 students took a deep breath and presented their stories to judges in the 18th annual Student StoryFest presented by Jackson Education Service District. Fourth- to eighth-graders wove together legends, tales and myths with exotic titles such as "Ka-ha-si and the Loon," "Hershel of Ostropol: the Bandit and Potatoes," and "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi." The judges narrowed it to 14 finalists who got up the courage to recite their tales before an audience of about 300 peers and adults at Southern Oregon University. Visibly nervous before her performance, Susie Johnson, an eighth-grader at Hanby Middle School, leaned on her friend Danielle Moneymaker for support. "Right before I go up - uh - I'll be ready," she said, taking a deep breath. "I'm ready now." Susie had no idea why she was chosen as a finalist to recite "The Cock, the Mouse, and the Little Red Hen." "I thought a lot of people were better than me," she said. Ashland resident and StoryFest judge Tim Kay said it was a difficult decision to choose Susie over other students in her group. "We were actually at a standstill for a while," he said. Even though they finally settled on Susie, Kay said, "We don't really call it the winners and losers." Zachary Tomlinson, a fifth-grader at Hoover Elementary School, said he was a lot more nervous last year but thought he had gained more self-confidence. "And I also had a southern accent, which helped," said Zachary, who scared the audience with his account of "Wicked John and the Devil." Zachary thought all the performances were good. "There were just a bunch of really great people," he said. "No one was better than the others." Cassandra Williams, a seventh-grader from Talent Middle School, agreed. "The competition is really tough," she said. Cassandra didn't make it to the finals, saying it was tricky delivering a fun performance while adding the right gestures for emphasis. Getting the feedback from the audience helped, though. "It's nice to hear the crowd laugh and it gives you confidence," she said. Kouba Sayre, a sixth-grade teacher from Griffin Creek Elementary, said, "I think the program allows for kids to feel comfortable getting up in front of class." With three of her students in the StoryFest, Sayre said it is sometimes difficult to get sixth-graders to stand before a crowd. "They are at an awkward age where they want to blend in but want to search for their own identity," she said. ESD graphic artist Cynthia Griffin said schools conducted internal competitions before selecting a few students for the StoryFest. While stories were taken from myths and legends, Griffin said, "They've (the students) researched the tales and learned to tell them in their own words." The other finalists were: Nicole Page and MacKenzie Legg, fourth-graders from Orchard Hill; Anna Ortlip-Hume, a fourth-grader from Helman; Olivia Plotnick, a fifth-grader from Sams Valley; Sam Ackerman and Jessica Reid, fifth-graders from Hoover; Lila Schriber and Jesse Jauna, sixth-graders from Ashland Middle; Sarah Louie, a sixth-grader from Lone Pine; Tucker Reed, a sixth-grader from Jacksonville; China Peterson, a sixth-grader from McLoughlin Middle; and Emily McLaughlin, an eighth-grader from Pinehurst. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.