In week three of our Exploring LegacyQuest 2014 series we’re featuring the festival’s third place winner. This entry from The Baldwin School in Pennsylvania takes a fun and original approach to uncovering the ancient Greek practice of storytelling. It was created by middle school students Allison, Saachi, Jattu, Emma and Ivonna with the help of their teacher, Jeannette Keshishian.
When the students found out they’d be doing a video about storytelling they knew right away that they wanted to act out an ancient Greek or Roman story. They wanted it to be a “fun learning experience” and were determined to choose a “myth full of action and drama.”[1] Several different options were considered including Hercules and Pandora, but nothing seemed right. Finally, the students remembered a modern book series called Goddess Girls and they decided to compare this modern version of the Persephone story with the ancient myth. They were excited to begin filming, intending to give the video a “story-like feel.”[2] The students felt it was important for each of them to contribute equally to the process. Once they had finished researching, scripting, filming and editing their project, they all agreed it was “an exceptional learning experience” that gave them the opportunity to “showcase their research.”[3]
Before watching the modern Persephone meet the ancient version, here’s a little more information about these creative students.
Jattu likes to sing and write. Her favorite subject in school is science.
Saachi likes to sing, draw and play squash. Her favorite subjects in school are math, English and art.
Emma likes to dance and do gymnastics. Her favorite subject in school is English.
Allison likes to read and do gymnastics. Her favorite subject in school is social studies.
Ivonna likes to sing and draw. Her favorite subject in school is social studies and Latin.
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[1] Film Essay
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
AntiquityNOW 