On Thursday, November 12, all teachers and students of grades 6 to 7 ushered in an annual English story feast in the main auditorium. We still remember the thunderous applause and cheers from the audience last year, and it was even more memorable and exciting this year. What surprises did this highly anticipated event bring this time? Let us take a look!

For each grade, there were six students who have successfully advanced into the final round, three from S/S+ English and three from H/H+ English. The competitors used their powerful story-telling skills to vividly share their tales.

Grade 6:

For the S/S+ finalists, they all wrote adventure stories, that took us to creative worlds and tasks that must be completed along the way. 6(1)’s Alexis, wrote an a-maze-ing story about three children in a peculiar maze that took them on an astonishing adventure. 6(7)’s Laggy wrote an adventure story about two characters named Coco and Angel, who, due to their determination to find a missing necklace, had a spellbinding adventure. 6(9)’s William was the author of an adventure story about an author named Lucas McDonald who accidentally spilled a magical solution onto his lush planet, causing it to (nearly) turn upside down. Now, he has to find the antidote to the solution to save his planet…will he succeed, or will he cause his planet to be stuck in a chaotic state forever?

The H/H+ finalists left their competitors frozen in suspense with their mystery stories. 6(1)’s Sara wrote about a woman, Anna Clidna, who “enjoyed” a tragic vacation at a Swiss hotel—Anna was found murdered right after she discovered a strange book named Katherine Alexander that told the story of her own life. What would happen next? Yoyo of 6(2) created a story where she and her friends were camping in the woods when they found a machine that could change one’s thoughts. 6(6)’s Arman wrote a mysterious story about an outer space detective with an outer space case. Can he solve the seemingly simple yet complicated case?

In the end, the S/S+ level winner was Alexis and the H/H+ level winner is Sara. To end the session, there was a lucky prize draw for all students in grade 6! The lucky students each received a special prize.

Grade 7

Christina Zuo from 7(7) recalled: “That day, I walked into the classroom where the second round was held, sitting on my seat and was repeating my story over and over again, just in case that I wouldn’t forget anything. When I stood on the platform, I was calm and relaxed on the surface, but I was anxious in the inside. I finished my speech and controlled the time within 4 minutes, I then eased my nervous heart. In the evening, the finalists came out, I opened it with excitement and fear, and found my name. My heart was full of excitement and joy, but also anxious and nervous.” Emma Gu from 7(1) talked about her memorable experience, “My story, which I will share on stage on Thursday, is a simple retelling of the Greek myth, Phaethon and the Sun Chariot. It was no more thrilling, captivating, nor unique than any of the tales that were unqualified to pass into the final round. However I will admit that I practiced my story probably more than average: for an entire week before the first round, I read the tale out loud for at least 50 times. Although it was admittedly tiring, I believe all was worth it to have this rare opportunity to share my tale with the grade.”

Evenly from 7(11) told a story about a girl named Phyllis who moved to a new school. This story is realistic and the character’s growth is obvious. Her speech is full of emotion, and she makes very good eye contact. Venessa, from 7(3), created a story about a boy named Conner whose father died in the war, he hates his family and wants to go to war. After he finished the training camp, he learns to appreciate his life without his dad. When she was doing her presentation, she used a very good voice and controlled her emotions well, she really made her story fun by changing her voice and tone. Lillian from 7(6) told a story about an arrogant fairy that one day turned into a worm and eventually matured to accept her new life as a worm.

It is difficult not to enjoy the Storytelling Competition. Each individual tale has its own kind of charm. We thank all the participants for taking the time to tell their stories. Cassie from 7(9) said, “After writing my story, I began to practice weeks before the presentation day. As the proverb goes, stupid birds fly first; since I have never had such experience, so I have to prepare before the others to have a better performance. At school, I practice with my friends; at home, I perform in front of my family. From the audience, I can get a lot of advice and improve my speech to make it better.”

At the same time, thank the teachers for helping all students organize their ideas and polish their stories, the ASB members for helping with the final round production, and all the other behind-the-scenes workers. Without them, it would be impossible to have such a polished story-telling competition. All students are looking forward to the competition next year!

(Written by 6(12) Mandi, 7(1)Emma, 7(7)Christina, 7(9)Cassie Supervised by Ms. Portillo, Brittany Amiling Pictures by Ginger)