8th grader heads to national storyteller festival for 2nd time

Cedar Hill—Bessie Coleman Eighth Grader Alyviah McGrew has been selected to participate in the National Association of Black Storytellers Festival, Nov. 20-23, in Atlanta.

“It’s very special because I have a chance to represent Cedar Hill – where I first learned about storytelling,” McGrew said. 

McGrew, 13, earned a scholarship that covers registration and accommodations for the event, courtesy of Cedar Hill’s Traphene Hickman Library – where she participates in youth storytelling programs. She will travel to the festival with her father, George.

“Alyviah has been working diligently here at the library with master storytellers for many years to perfect her skills as a youth storyteller,” Hickman Library Director Aranda Bell said. “We are extremely proud of her having this opportunity to work with storytellers from all across the country.”

The festival consists of the participants telling an existing story. They have the option of adding, removing or changing the details, but delivery is the most important factor.

McGrew will tell a story about nature called “Why The Sky Is So Far Away.” While the storytelling aspect itself is relatively short, the participants spent most of the time in workshops and touring the host city.

Last year, McGrew was part of the event when it was held in Buffalo, New York, along with her sister, Cedar Hill High School junior Saniyah McGrew – Cedar Hill ISD’s Teen Superintendent. Together, they visited Niagara Falls and The Peace Bridge, which connects the United States and Canada.

This year, Saniyah won’t be able to make the trip because she will be attending the Thespian Festival with the CHHS Theatre Department. However, her younger sister will be there to accept an award on Saniyah’s behalf – the Baba Jamal Koram Haramba Youth Award, named in honor of a “master storyteller and story teacher.”

“Saniyah has been doing storytelling for a long time, and she’s really good at it,” McGrew said.

At BCMS, McGrew is involved in many extracurricular activities. She’s the National Junior Honor Society President, the Eighth-Grade Student Council Representative and a member of both the Honors Orchestra and the Basketball Team.

She will be a member of the CHHS Class of 2031 and plans to focus her extracurricular efforts on student government and fine arts once she gets to high school.

SOURCE Cedar Hill ISD