ALEX CAMPBELL, social studies teacher at Elizabethton High School in Tennessee. He first learned of Story Xperiential through his connections with the XQ Institute, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to rethinking high school. At the time, in 2019, XQ Institute and X in a Box were working on "XQ in a Box". He has been on the Educator Advisory team since the inception of X in a Box, the company behind Story Xperiential. Initially, he integrated it into his curriculum during the Covid pandemic, when students had more time for non-traditional learning and needed engaging learning experiences they could work through at home. He also had his two teenage sons participate to get more real world understanding about how he could use the program. The one thing that he noticed over and over again was that students are drawn to the power of storytelling when they discover the power of sharing a story they believe in.
This past year, he was able to provide the experience to 75 World History students (all his classes) as they wanted to do a project focused on storytelling. He could think of no better way to do so than incorporating Story Xperiential. Each class had a different type of story they wanted to tell, but one class in particular had a very intriguing idea. They had recently been discussing how the international drug trade was effecting the world, so the students wondered if they could tell addiction and recovery stories but make them age appropriate for elementary students?
Elizabethton is home to a residential recovery program called Recovery Soldiers Ministries and they had collaborated on several projects before. Alex felt that having people in recovery come to the school and share their own life experiences with students would be the perfect way to connect the teens with actual people in their community and allow the students to tell an authentic story. The students learned interviewing skills before several women from the program visited the class and shared their experiences. The students were instructed to look for the big themes in the stories so they could be further explored through their storytelling to make it relatable to younger students.
The students explored themes of hurt, loneliness, hopelessness, peers, and poor choices. Soon, the five student groups were brainstorming ideas to tell these powerful stories, that everyone can relate to, in new and exciting ways. A girl who grew up in a trailer park became a cute alien with sparkly skin. A young woman, who felt abandoned by the ones she loved, turned into a hedgehog who was afraid of storms. The students were working through the Story Xperential program and learning how to create vivid tales that would turn their ideas into engaging stories for people of all ages.
The process of learning not only covered the process of visual storytelling through storyboarding but throughout the process the students were met with challenges that they had to overcome, discovered strengths and abilities they didn’t know they had, and learned interpersonal skills through conflict and collaboration within their groups. Most of the students had never done a semester-long comprehensive project, so there was a lot they had to work through. The students had to learn to use technology like online platforms for video creation, document sharing, and email. They also had to learn how to work together effectively as a group, incorporating time management, decision making, and division of work. When students learned a new technology skill that was in demand by other student groups, the students became experts and taught one another. This bolstered the students with different talents, making them feel valued throughout the process.
The group working on Roots and Quills: Striking a Balance experienced a loss when one of their members tragically passed away. They decided to name their main character after him and gave the character a few of his distinguishing characteristics to honor him. They also insisted on keeping his name on their project as a way to remember him.
Soon, it was getting close to the end of the project and Alex arranged for the women from the Recovery Soldiers Ministries program to return to see what the students had created from their experiences and provide valuable feedback and encouragement to help the students with their final push to complete their storyreels. The women were amazed by what the students had created, to find that their stories could be turned into something that would educate and inspire others. There were smiles, laughs, and even tears.
As Alex awaited the Story Xperiential Exhibition results, he reflected on how students had learned so much more than storytelling or art skills. They had keyed into 21st Century, durable skills that would help them in today’s job market. Alex, as an educator, learned that students need to learn how to teach themselves, and learn from one another and online sources and not just their teacher. He saw the power of letting students step up to be content-area experts. He saw students making workflow charts and distributing responsibilities so each group could complete their work on time. These are the skills that transcend subject areas, content, and curriculum. They make it possible for all students to be successful not only in school, but throughout life.
When the Story Xperiential Exhibition and Awards Ceremony aired, it was overwhelming to hear that Roots and Quills: Striking a Balance was chosen as one of the best storyreel winners in the youth category. The students learned so much about storytelling, but also found how to transcend heartache and loss and take someone’s personal journey and retell it in a way that would inspire others. After the students and Alex celebrated, the women from the Recovery Soldiers Ministries program were contacted. They were so excited for the students, and encouraged about their own journeys.
One lady recounted, “I just wish I would have had this version of myself to share with my own children, but at least I know I can still share it and it can make a difference for other young people.”
But Alex still had one more call to make.
He called the mother of the student who had tragically passed away. She admitted that she was having a bad day, but Alex insisted he had news she wanted to hear. She wasn't aware of the project, and had no idea that his fellow students had given the lead character her son’s name in his honor. When she found out the group was one of the best storyreel winners, she was so moved that she began to cry. She wanted to watch the story, immediately. She loved it, and would cherish her son's winner's certificate.
Alex keeps a copy of that student's certificate on his bookshelf. To him, it is a reminder of the power of storytelling, which took place in so many ways with this project. The women who were recovering from addiction realized that although their stories were marred with pain and struggle, they still held so much hope and beauty. A mother realized that a story could help her son live on, reaching so many people who never had the chance to meet him. And three high school freshmen learned that, by learning to tell a story through Story Xperential, they had the power to not just tell history, but to make it.