LONGSHAW PRIMARY ACADEMY PUPIL WINS ‘MOST SUPRISING MOMENT’ AT REGIONAL STORYTELLING COMPETITION
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Pupil at Longshaw Primary Academy takes home prize for ‘Most Surprising Moment’
Earlier this month, a Year 6 pupil at Longshaw Primary Academy, Karis, took home the prize for ‘Most Surprising Moment’ in this year’s southern StorySLAM final, hosted by Fulham Primary School.
StorySLAM is an annual competition run by United Learning for pupils in Years 5 and 6, which challenges them to write their own 200-300 word stories to then perform in front of their peers. Inspired by a similar event which began in New York, the aim of the competition is to develop children’s creativity, confidence and literacy skills in a supportive and fun environment.
This year, 36 primary schools across the country took part in the competition. The first stage began in each of the participating schools as the children wrote and later performed their stories in front of their classmates and teachers before a school champion was crowned.
Following this, the winners took up their places in one of three regional finals in the South, Midlands and North, where they performed their stories to an expert panel of judges, including children’s storyteller Kevin Graal.
In the face of fierce competition, Karis took home the prize for ‘Most Surprising Moment’, impressing judges with her story about a young girl’s mysterious trip to the theatre. To celebrate her efforts, Karis received a certificate and a selection of books.
At the final event, pupils also participated in a storytelling workshop, led by Kevin, who equipped the children with the tools and confidence they needed to take to the stage and enthusiastically perform their stories.
The finalists’ stories will now be collated and published in the United Learning StorySLAM 2024 Anthology. A copy of this will be sent to each participating school.
Speaking about her win, Karis said:
“I really enjoyed StorySLAM. I was nervous to perform at first, but Kevin’s advice really helped and I liked being a part of it.”
Whitney Otchere, a teacher at Longshaw Primary Academy who attended the event, said:
“We had a great time at the StorySLAM event. We were all captivated by Kevin Graal’s stories and the children learned valuable storytelling techniques that they will always remember.”