Meeting spot… Senior Jillian Surla and junior Bailey Harness meet up with their classmates before the storytelling conference. Students enjoyed spending the morning shopping, eating and riding the attractions at Animal Kingdom.
Splitting up… Journalism students split into groups to prepare for the storytelling conference. After being assigned a group, students made name tags that included their favorite story. (Bridget Capella)The first discussion… Cast member Alex Martin begins the workshop by asking students about their favorite story. Students then learned about the evolution of storytelling through Walt Disney’s past works and arranged them in the correct order. (Bridget Capella)Storytelling magic… Students learn about the principles of storytelling and how it is used all around them. They used all five senses to observe the story that was being told to them in the park, a skill that is useful in journalism. (Bridget Capella)A new assignment… Students listen intently as they receive instructions for their next assignment. After being split into groups, they had to find three examples of storytelling techniques used in the park before heading backstage for their next activity. Submitted photoPlan it out… Senior Amelia Bates shares her ideas with fellow students backstage at Disney World. Participants had to use various items and storytelling techniques to create a new theme park. “It was fun to take the randomly selected elements and create a cohesive story,” Bates said. Submitted photoCostume design…Members of the costume group look over materials they would use in their fictional theme park. They used fabric, paper and colorful markers to create a sketch for what cast members would wear. “As soon as the Imagineers told us the options to choose from, my group jumped at the opportunity to do the costumes,” said Jillian Surla, senior journalism student. “It felt like we were really Imagineers and actually helped brainstorm ideas for Disney. I had so much fun.” Submitted photoSharing ideas… Seniors Leo Steadham and Connor Morris discuss their ideas for the landscaping of the park. The group creatively utilized title, stone and faux plants to convey the story they were assigned. Submitted photoSketching away… Sophomores Kendall Kirchoff and Emma Rains sketch potential rides in their theme park. Groups later rejoined to share their ideas for costumes, music, setting and attractions. Submitted photoBack to the drawing board… Students put their ideas to paper and draw their designs. Both the costumes and the attractions groups provided a sketch of their ideas to the group when they presented. Submitted photoCreative ideas… Amelia Bates creates a color palette for the theme park, employing both dark and light colors to tell the story of two opposing forces. The groups completed their work and shared their ideas with everyone soon after. Submitted photoA magic ending… Participants and leaders of the storytelling workshop convene in the park after completing their activity backstage. Students spent the rest of the day enjoying all of the attractions the park has to offer. Submitted photo
