At Ecole Olds Elementary School's annual Author Celebration Day, Grade 2 students proclaimed their affection for the written word through song and by sharing published stories of their own.According to Jamie Nisbet, a Grade 2 teacher at the school, the importance of writing is made a focal point at that grade level. From the beginning of the year, each student publishes two original stories that go on display in the school's library.Nisbet grew up in Olds and attended EOES as a child. The school placed as much emphasis on writing then as it does now, she said.This was her first Author Celebration Day as a teacher and she said the event is about getting students excited about putting pen to paper.“I just want to see that in my students, that they can feel successful, love writing, love performing, be confident little citizens,” Nisbet said.Festivities for the day included visits from local authors and a presentation at Olds High School, where Grade 11 and 12 students dramatized one story from each Grade 2 EOES class.The elementary school also held an assembly in the school's gym where the Grade 2s sang songs inspired by children's stories such as Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, The Secret Garden and Peter Pan.“It's the Grade 2s' opportunity to shine in front of the entire school,” said vice-principal Kory Sholdice. “We try to give an opportunity to each grade level. It's an incredible amount of work. It's a couple months' preparation. It's not just a few songs. The whole writing aspect of it is huge.”Two participating students included Avery Johnston from Helene Fischer's class and Rhett Miller from Nisbet's class.Miller wrote two stories, “If You Give a Snake a Slurpee” and “The Hockey Game,” the latter about a hockey player who gets sent to the hospital following a hit-from-behind.Johnston wrote “All About Zebras,” “Gymnastics,” “The Three Girls and the Mysterious Noise” and “The Rabbit that Almost got Cooked,” about a rabbit that narrowly avoids getting served as a meal and ends up spared as a pet.Both said they enjoyed writing their stories – for Miller, because hockey is his favourite sport.Johnston said she enjoys writing in her spare time.“I like writing because you can relax and think of ideas to put in a story,” she said. “I'll grab paper and start writing something.”Nisbet said Author Celebration Day shows the growth of students' writing abilities, from learning the alphabet to penning stories. It's an accomplishment that results in a noticeable confidence boost.“They're very proud of themselves and that's a great skill for any student, adult, anyone to have,” she said.“I think it helps with their imagination and it just gets them thinking about bringing their experiences from life and all the things that their parents have worked on with them into written form as a memory, a keepsake. I know they will have these stories forever.”[email protected]
