OXNARD : Young Storytellers Carry on School’s Oral Tradition

The three Rs were put on hold Tuesday at Fred Williams Elementary School in South Oxnard as pupils and teachers kicked off their second annual storytelling festival.

Some of the pint-sized narrators were clearly nervous, evidenced by cracking voices or long pauses. Others, however, were polished orators.

During one of the morning sessions, about 30 kindergarten through sixth-grade pupils gathered to hear 10-year-old Amanda Johnson of Oxnard tell a Native American yarn about how the stars came to light up the night sky.

Amanda leaned forward tensely.

“All the animals, except the coyote, worked to make the Earth,” Amanda said, settling in her seat. “Some animals made the rivers for water. Others made plants for food. After their hard work, the tired animals went to sleep.”

While the other animals slept, Amanda said--a smile now forming on her face--the coyote discovered a bag of shiny objects the others intended to use as decorations for the Earth.

“The coyote found them and started tasting them,” Amanda said. Although one of her classmates sighed, obviously bored, Amanda wasn’t distracted.

The coyote didn’t like the taste, she went on, spitting out the stars and throwing them into the sky. “And that’s how stars brighten the darkness,” she added, a smile marking her accomplishment. “The coyote did it!”

Although the children’s nervousness shows at times, they’re doing fine, said speech and language teacher Ladelle Bohn, who organized the festival.

“We don’t expect perfection. I don’t want to turn the kids off. We’re trying to teach the children that being involved is a good thing,” Bohn said.

In preparation, teachers and pupils decorated walls and doors with posters and artifacts from Mexico, the Philippines and Africa. Fences outside the school were adorned with rainbow flags and windsocks.

“It’s a wonderful way of (continuing) oral tradition and sparking their interest in reading and writing,” said principal Mary Samples. “Many of the stories have been handed down. Some will tell stories they or their parents have written.” Bohn started the project in 1991 by going classroom to classroom, spinning yarns of her own. She said the children were captivated, their interest piqued. Last year, the festival drew about 150 kids to the microphone. This week, more than 300 are expected to participate.

The festival, called “Stories from Around the World,” will continue through next week and is open to the public. Williams school is located at 4300 Anchorage St. For more information, call Bohn at 488-4300.