Everyone's a Student

VernalUTAH's Indian Summer Storytelling Festival will host its second annual Storytelling Symposium on Friday, September 21, from 8 AM to Noon at Utah State University's Vernal Campus. The event, cosponsored by USU and Uintah School District, will bring students, teachers and life-long learners together to explore the fine points of storytelling with this year's featured storytellers, Bil Lepp, Antonio Rocha and Kim Weitkamp.

Barbara McBride Smith coaches students and teachers on the fine
points of  Readers' Theater at last year's storytelling symposium. 

The symposium, offered as professional development for teachers across the curriculum, is open to the whole community. "Storytelling isn't just applicable to our professions," said symposium coordinator Aaryn Birchell. "Sharing stories adds so much to the quality of our lives. It's even more powerful when you bring together different age groups, different teaching and learning styles, and so many different stories into one environment. It's really a dynamic experience."

Cost for the symposium is $25, which includes three one-hour workshops and lunch. Pre-registration is required.

In addition, Uintah Schools Foundation will present fifty scholarships to 6th through 12th grade students within Uintah School District to attend the symposium. Scholarship forms can be picked up at all secondary school offices. Students must fill out the application form, write a small essay on why they want to attend the symposium, and return all forms to the school office by noon on Friday, September 14. Scholarship recipients will be notified Tuesday, September 18.

Scheduled workshops include:
Wake Up With Bil: Go through the process and adventure of creating a tall tale. All at 7:45 in the morning. All with Bil Lepp!
Five Crazy Voices - One Million Characters: With Antonio Rocha as your guide, discover your five different voice ranges and how to use them to bring a cast of characters to life.
Get Your Way the Old Way: Explore with Kim Weitkamp how stories can motivate more effectively than any other technique - both in the classroom and at the dinner table.

For more information, or to register for the symposium, call 789-4938. Teachers interested in attending the symposium for professional development should contact Lynna Kendall at 435-781-3100 ext. 1014.