The musings of Emerson’s Stazi Bednarczuk, left, and Fouse’s D.J. Bardwell will be performed for thousands by Columbus Children’s Theatre actors.
Each year, the Columbus Children’s Theatre (CCT) selects a theme and collects stories written by students in grades K-8. More than 1,000 Child Writing Project (CWP) submissions are received and the top tales are compiled to create a hysterical, fast-paced entertaining sketch comedy show seen by thousands of youngsters. This year’s theme was “Terrific Technology,” and when the Top 21 submissions were chosen for performance, two of the pieces picked were written by students in the Westerville City School District.
Stazi Bednarczuk, a fifth grader at Emerson Magnet School, wrote “The Project,” about how the gift of a Smartphone helped her earn an “A” on her school project. D.J. Bardwell, a fifth grade student at Fouse Elementary, penned, “What is the World Coming To?” about good things and bad things regarding technology.
Selections were based on originality, honesty of expression, dramatic interest, stage-ability and compatibility with the other pieces under consideration. After the winning pieces are chosen, the Director and the Touring Company develop a script and stage each piece by adding props, costumes and scenery in order to bring the story to life on stage, while striving to keep the script as the author wrote it. The show begins touring in March and closes December 31.
Bednarczuk and Bardwell are part of Westerville’s Intermediate Gifted Reading WoW (WithOut Walls) Program, designed to enrich gifted students outside of the classroom walls and provide opportunities to them any time of day, from anywhere with internet access. The program relies on the use of Schoology, on online learning system that provides a safe, monitored, and closed platform for students to interact with other students, and to submit academic assignments online.
One such online assignment was the option to submit an entry to CCT’s 31st Annual Writing Project. Forty-five students in Angie Heath’s Gifted Reading Program participated in this opportunity. Student winners and their families have been invited to attend a World Premiere Performance in March for free, along with their teachers and principals. Immediately following the premiere, winning authors will participate in a brief awards ceremony and photo shoot with the authors and actors.
“It is extraordinary to see the power of writing recognized outside the ‘virtual’ classroom walls and onto a stage setting, for thousands of spectators to be enthralled by these young authors’ works,” said Heath. “Congratulations to DJ and Stazi for their wonderful contributions!”