Songs and stories bring local history to life for Mullan students
Students at Mullan Elementary school rehearse with Carol and Paul Roberts before performing in front of their friends and family on Friday, Sept. 29.
CAROLYN BOSTICK/Press
Paul Roberts sings during a performance at Mullan Elementary School. Paul and Carol Roberts are artists in residence working with students.
Students at Mullan Elementary tell the story of Noah Kellogg and his burro, Bill.
MULLAN — The Mullan School District leapt at the chance to bring Carol and Paul Roberts in as artists in residence to ignite student creativity this school year.
The first stop was Mullan Elementary, where the discovery of some of the Silver Valley’s historic mines were celebrated with singing and storytelling. Kindergartners and first and second graders told the story of the Gold Rush on the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River near Murray and Pritchard.
Third and fourth graders used music and acting to bring alive the story of how Noah Kellogg discovered the Bunker Hill and Sullivan Mine back in 1885.
“He found a lode of silver while searching for gold. If you listen to the story it’ll give you quite a thrill. But Noah had some help if the truth be told, the ore was really found by a burro named Bill,” was one of the verses sung by the students.
The fifth and sixth graders put together a multimedia presentation involving a slideshow, narration and brought-to-life scenes from the Old Mission, Idaho's oldest standing building.
Mullan School District Superintendent Leslie Wells said watching the students bring their energy to the project as they realized the freedom that creativity could help them channel was great to watch.
“For me, the best thing was hearing some of our students go from ‘I don't want to do this,’ at the beginning of the week to ‘man, this is a lot of fun,’ by the end of the week. It was a great introduction to the arts for our younger students,” he said.
Carol and Paul Roberts facilitate opportunities for kids and adults to tap into storytelling and creativity with their business, “Grow Me A Story.”
The elementary students worked with Carol and Paul Roberts throughout the week and then performed for the school and parents on Sept. 29.
Mullan kindergarten teacher Tamara Lindroos has worked with the couple before at the Sixth Street Melodrama and lobbied to get the school to bring them on for a new experience for the students.
“I was so excited when they agreed to do this. They are both incredibly talented and creative people, and the children loved working with them. What a great experience for our students,” Lindroos said.
The fun will be coming to the rest of district students later this month at Mullan Jr./Sr. High School in the form of a sketch comedy show focusing on the history of Mullan and its community.
