“Flying on the Wings of our Words”
“It was a cold day in November the morning we left Potenza to come to America…”
So began the narrative that visiting teaching artist, Laurie McIntosh (aka Story Laurie) recently shared with sixth grade classes at Duanesburg Elementary, as part of a two-day arts-in-education residency. The 30-minute story that McIntosh performed is a narrative nonfiction that draws from her own grandmother’s experience as an eight-year-old Italian immigrant embarking on life in a new land while traveling by steamship to the United States in the year 1913.
After enjoying this riveting tale, Mr. Danapilis’ and Mrs. Surnear’s sixth grade students embarked on their own journey of sorts, as Story Laurie guided them through a series of workshops that provided students with tools to assist them in crafting their own narrative nonfictions about a time that they or someone they know faced a challenge but refused to give up.
“Story Laurie brought her writing and storytelling to our sixth grade classrooms as we were beginning a unit of narrative nonfiction. Students were engaged, brave in sharing their ideas and excited to put what they learned about writing to work,” sixth grade teacher Mrs. Surnear shared. “The storytelling through song with Mr. Hopkins was one of the highlights of Story Laurie’s time with us.”
This creative writing residency is the brainchild of sixth grade teacher Mr. Danapilis, who welcomed Story Laurie into his fifth grade classroom at DES annually, until COVID hit in 2020. The return of Story Laurie back to DES is the continuation of a tradition that had begun in 2010 with a somewhat different curricular objective.
“Now with a brand new ELA curriculum in sixth grade, the opportunity presented itself to invite Story Laurie back into our classrooms,” said Mr. Danapilis. Not only is she a master at her craft, she knows exactly how to draw the students into her stories and leave them mesmerized,” he added.
“Story Laurie is a sensational artist who allows students to be vulnerable and engaged, leaving the classroom transformed into a beautiful escape where students’ writings come alive,” continued Mr. Danapilis.
Superintendent of Schools Kimberly Ross was invited to join the narrative nonfiction workshop and was very impressed with the session. “This was a wonderful workshop for our sixth grade students to participate in. Story Laurie was a dynamic presenter, with a very special knack for connecting with students. I too was drawn into her style of theatrical storytelling, and could tell that she made an impact on the students. Kudos to Mr. Danapilis and Mrs. Surnear for thinking outside the box to provide an unforgettable learning experience for our young authors at DES,” she said.
Student Shoutouts:
“I really enjoyed getting to meet Story Laurie and it was an honor to have her look at and give feedback on my writing piece. It was a great time working with her and hearing her stories. I am glad I got to have this experience with her.” – Viviana Gimondo, sixth grade student
“There was a lot of detail and expression in the way Story Laurie told her stories. I plan to use dialogue throughout my story.” – Robert Hafler, sixth grade student
“I am incredibly grateful I got to meet Story Laurie and very glad to have her company. She is a great influencer on writing and songwriting. She helped me change my story from good to great. Story Laurie is amazing at what she does!” – Leila Fiedler, sixth grade student
“I enjoyed it all! It was a really fun experience. I learned a lot from Story Laurie, she even helped me start my story. The stories and songs she sang were entertaining and exciting. Lunch with the author was fun, because we were able to talk with her one-on-one and participate in some improv with her.” – Erikson Gramstad, sixth grade student
