Classical seniors shine in storytelling contest

LYNN – For Lynn Classical High School senior Kaleel Campbell, the toughest thing about getting up in front of an audience and talking about his middle school crush was dealing with the nerves.”I had to get myself out of the way – the negative voice inside me saying, ‘Sit back down, bro,” he said. “That was the very first time I got onstage and told a story in front of people, but I wanted to tell the story. I wanted to get it off my chest.”Campbell was among 30 Lynn Classical seniors who had their classmates cheering them on and laughing out loud Friday as they shared stories of second-grade loves and the worst day at a summer job in a battle to decide who was best storyteller.Thirty students out of 400 were selected from their English class peers to tell two-minute stories in a story slam for five judges from StoriesLive, a storytelling project by the nonprofit massmouth, which promotes storytelling through social media, education and live performance.Four students were expected to find out by Monday if they will be moving on to compete at a regional story slam in Boston in April, where the top storyteller will win a $1,000 scholarship.Norah Dooley, executive director of massmouth, said teaching students how to tell an engaging story about themselves is important.”These students are going to be leaving high school and all going to jobs. They need to be able to represent themselves, and the best way is to tell a story about yourself. From a job application to the Common App, this is useful.”Marcus Garaud, who told a humorous story about his first day of work on a farm when he was 14, said he has been practicing his story for weeks. He said the English teachers taught the basics of storytelling, the important elements being volume, sound effects and enthusiasm.The students told personal stories with one of several prompts, such as “where I am from,” “risky business,” “learned the hard way,” “lost and found” and “right from wrong.” Dooley said the winning story will “open our eyes to some aspect of the human experience.”Some of the storytellers were more conversational, with their hands in their pockets, and others were more theatrical. While telling a story about a dream about pop star Beyonce, Aaron Ball did a strut around the stage just like his idol.Dooley said the students tap into their five senses to engage the audience in their story.”Everybody has a different approach,” she said. “Sometimes it’s the theme, sometimes it’s the punch line.”English teacher Patty Frey said the students’ peers get reintroduced after a touching or relatable story, and it helps teachers to learn more about each student.”Once you hear that story, you have a completely different view of that child,” said Frey. She added that storytelling is in the core curriculum in every grade, but the teachers have no training for it.As the students filed out of the auditorium, StoriesLive’s Tony Toledo, who served as master of ceremonies, said to the students, “You’re going to remember these stories. Fifteen years from now someone is going to say, ‘Hey, I remember that story!’ and you’re going to tell it all over again.”Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].