Cabrini Immigrant Services (CIS), Dobbs Ferry, NY held a STARS (StoryTelling, Art, Reading and Socialization) Program for students in Elementary, Middle and High School. Our students were from Guatemala and Mexico. The STARS program has helped our students by increasing their attention span, improving their imagination and creative thinking as well as building confidence in their verbal and artistic expression.
This program was extra special because the storyteller was one of our students who was trained in our Storyteller Training program. Thank you to the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation grant, which allows us to train college students to become storytellers. Today was Rocio Soria Morales’ first Storytelling Program!
The book that was used was, The Most Magnificent Thing, by Ashley Spires. After telling the story and having a discussion about the book, the students worked together to invent something out of simple materials. They used cardboard, pompoms, popsicle sticks, etc. to make something new. After collaborating, the students presented what they created together. Some of the items made were a special car that flew, a catapult and a maze that used pompoms to get to the holder on the bottom. The children were so proud of their creations. The students enjoyed a fun time together. In addition to the project they created, they were so grateful to receive a copy of the book.