Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 1, 1994 TAG: 9403020196
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Melissa DeVaughn
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Davis, now 49, has spent his entire life spreading these stories to children and adults from as far away as Jerusalem, Wales and Scotland, to right here in the New River Valley. He spent Monday at Margaret Beeks Elementary sharing stories he learned while growing up in the South.
"I never planned to do this" for a living, Davis said. "But every time I would tell a story, two more people would ask me to tell it to them." Before long, Davis was on the road, traveling to schools or giving workshops to other adults interested in passing down oral traditions.
He now travels approximately 300 days a year, spending the rest of his free time on Okracoke Island in North Carolina's Outer Banks.
At Beeks, Davis told a traditional "Jack Tale" to the younger kids. The story (in a nutshell) was about a simple young boy named Jack who accidently earns himself two wagonloads of gold by making the king's daughter laugh. He told one of his own stories to the older kids later in the day.
Also, at the school's Parent-Teacher meeting Monday night, Davis planned to tell stories fitting for the youngest of children to one the kids' parents would enjoy.
A good story, said Davis, is one where the person listening can create images of the characters in their minds while listening to the story being told.
"We have lost so much of our listening skills," Davis said. "People think a story is a story, but it is not."
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION for Radford residents will be held March 11 from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. in the library of McHarg School. A child may enter kindergarten upon reaching age 5 on or before Sept. 30.
Bring the following information to registration: proof of a physical exam within 12 months prior to the opening of school in the fall, an original birth certificate and social security card.
For further information, call 731-3652.
Montgomery County Elementary School guidance counselors have formed a group called ``STEPPING STONES TO A GREAT EDUCATION,'' for parents of children ages 3 to 6. Meetings are held every month to help parents and their preschool children make a smooth transition from preschool to public schools. This month's meeting will be held March 8 7-8 p.m. at Christiansburg Primary School.
The topic will be ``Getting Ready for Kindergarten,'' with a panel of kindergarten teachers.
For further information, call Sherry Reynolds at 951-5737.
Children in the third to fifth grades in Montgomery County are still needed to participate in a countywide study designed to assess the HEALTH OF ELEMENTARY-AGE CHILDREN.
Virginia Tech researchers Jack Finney and Melanie Bonner are working on the project. Participation requires less than an hour, and includes a few questionnaires, and information will be kept confidential. Appointments are being made now. Call Bonner at 231-7709 to sign up.
The Chapter One program of Montgomery County Public Schools is sponsoring a "FAMILY LITERACY CELEBRATION" at New River Valley Mall Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Families may participate in literacy activities, including reading and writing centers, computer activities, games, puppet play, face-painting, book displays, balloons and more.
For further information, call 382-5123.
Episcopal High School in Alexandria announced its first semester High List recently, and Radford resident SHRITI PATEL was included. Shriti, the daughter of Bharat and Bharti Patel, is a freshman at the college-prep boarding school. She represents the top 13 percent of the student body.
This week's featured high school is SHAWSVILLE HIGH AND MIDDLE SCHOOL. Here's what's happening there:
Math teacher Dee Davidson recently participated in the American Association of University Women's Gender Equity conference, which examined gender equity in the schools, particularly in math and science.
English teachers Kathy Atkins and Makala Witten will give a presentation at the National Council of Teachers in English conference in Portland, Ore., in March.
The sixth-graders' essays on current issues were evaluated by the eleventh-grade Advanced Placement English classes in an effort to show peer support.
The guidance office has announced that those students needing further information on financial aid may call the Federal Student and Information Center at 1-800-433-3243 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. weekdays.
Kathy Atkins' English class is sharing its papers with a class at Radford University, who evaluates the work, and gives suggestions for improvements. This helps the college class and the students at Shawsville improve their writing.
The following seventh-graders were nominated for the National History and Government Awards: Patrick Angle, Tommy Cerva, Ryan Childress, Megan Collins, Joy Dalton and Megan Forster.
Also nominated for the award were: Daniel Goff, Jessica Harr, Julene Hyatt, Jaimi Kell, Michael Lowe, Sarah Moore, Linden Ryan, Jessie Smith, Erin Wilke, Sarah Woods and Cindy Yopp.
Joy Dalton won the Shawsville Middle School spelling bee. Andee Sears, a sixth-grader, was runner-up.
The seventh-graders are participating in a statistics project using topics of interest to learn more about math. This is what they found out: 10 students per class favor the Dallas Cowboys, 90 percent think animal experimentation is wrong, the warmest school day in January was 50 degrees, 44 percent of seventh-graders prefer their science class and 57 percent of girls do like football.
If you have an interesting school-related item for the paper, send it to Melissa DeVaughn at the Roanoke Times & World News, P.O. Box 540, Christiansburg, Va., 24073-0540.
by CNB