The 2009 National Youth Storytelling Showcase proved to be another outstanding year of youth storytelling. After the last performance storyteller Donald Davis approached all the youth and exclaimed, "These youth are amazing! They just keep getting better and better year after year!" Andy Offutt Irwin stated, "I fear for my job as a storyteller...these youth tellers will be getting all of my gigs!" All 15 youth tellers were fabulous with a quality of telling that could keep any audience spellbound. I would like to thank the City of Pigeon Forge, TN, Office of Special Events for giving the NYSS a home in Pigeon Forge and allowing us to take place in conjunction with the Smoky Mountain Storytelling Festival. I would also like to thank the National Storytelling Network for their ongoing support for youth storytelling.
The results for the 2009 NYSS are as follows:
2009 Grand Torchbearer
Rixon Lane, Woodruff, SC
High School Division Torchbearer
Emilee Seaman, Owensboro, KY
Middle School Division Torchbearer
Wei Anne Reidy, Potomac, MD
Elementary School Division Torchbearer
Olivia Merryman, Catonsville, MD
Tandem Team Torchbearers
Rebecca and Sarah Bird, Dandridge, TN
Finalists:
Hayden Higgs, Denton, TX
Hannah Smythe, Nashville, TN
Sarah Filippone, Jefferson City, TN
Nate Robinson, Alpine, UT
Emma Wilczynski, Florence, KY
Nicole Corn, Newport, TN
Jacob Filippone, Jefferson City, TN
Ruthanna Rubin, San Antonio, TX
Caroline Miller, San Antonio, TX
Thank you to the parents of these youth storytellers for their support, encouragement, and commitment. Thank you to the youth storytelling coaches, teachers and NYSS state liaisons for providing storytelling opportunities to our youth and seeing the value and lifelong skill in exposing our youth to the art of storytelling.
“Tomorrow’s storytelling” lies in the talents, interests, and
motivations of today’s YOUTH. Skills learned during the early years are
often more polished than those learned later in life. This event is
designed to promote and encourage both the art and science of
storytelling among pre-adult communicators. Although this endeavor does
involve competition, its underlying intent is to provide students
across the nation with a reason to practice numerous non-competitive
communication skills.
Each state has one representative who is in charge of handling the
experiences at the state level. Each state rep organizes the
experiences for his/her state, then nominates up to five young tellers
from that state to be considered as a candidate for the NYSS. These
videotapes are mailed to the City of Pigeon Forge, TN before a
pre-determined time in November of each year. A national committee
spends considerable time with these videotapes, and then narrows the
NYSS finalists to 18 - 20. Those
finalists are invited to the upcoming NYSS, which is a 3-day affair
held in conjunction with the Smoky Mountains Storytelling Festival,
held in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, the first weekend in February.
All of this leads to an evening NYSS storytelling concert, where each
of the young finalists tells one story. Then one “Special Youth
Storytelling Torchbearer” will be declared in each of three age groups
and one tandem groups. Individuals in these age divisions will be
selected not just for their storytelling talents but also for their
ambassadorship abilities in the world of storytelling. One “GRAND
Storytelling Torchbearer” is declared from ALL of the young finalists.
The goal of the NYSS is to encourage every classroom in America to
discover (or rediscover) the beauty and value of storytelling and story
performance. All who work with young tellers should keep this goal in
mind during all of the training and telling procedures.
