Canyons is honored to celebrate the creativity, power, and longevity of the oral traditions of Utah’s native peoples as co-host of the 2013 Utah Indigenous Day Storytelling Festival.
The festival, which falls amid American Indian Heritage Month, is sponsored by the Utah Division of Indian Affairs. The event gets underway Monday, Nov. 25, 2013 at Taylorsville High School, and continues Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2013 in the Board Room of the Canyons Support Services Center, 9361 S. 300 East.
The Canyons event features nationally renowned storyteller Dovie Thomason, a trainer and lecturer at Yale University and the American Museum of Natural History, and graphic book illustrator Dimi Macheras, who will conduct workshops for students at 9 a.m. and teachers at 1 p.m. The workshops will demonstrate the art of presenting traditional Native American stories in comic book formats. The event will be broadcast via the Utah Education Network to engage students on reservations and in other school districts statewide.
At Taylorsville High on Monday, Nov. 25, 2013, Tomason will headline the event by delivering a 7 p.m. keynote address. Her storytelling performance will be broadcast on KCPW radio Friday, Nov. 29 at 10 a.m. and again at 8 p.m. The event also includes remarks from Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, and stories from Navajo, Northwestern Shosone, and White Mesa Ute communities.
CSD is dedicated to Title VII programs and services. Since its creation in 2009, Canyons District has participated in the Standing Tall program, which teaches students with Native American heritage about their culture, inspires confidence, and helps monitor their academic performance.
In addition, the Academic Collaboration of American Indian Students has established a mentorship program in CSD. Seniors who successfully complete the program receive a $500 scholarship for college. Younger students receive a certificate of recognition for their efforts. The program is designed to help American Indian students take leadership roles, guide their peers through the sometimes-difficult path of high school, and ultimately end at college.
Teachers can register online for the Tuesday, Nov. 26 Storytelling Workshop. The course number is 59546. Questions? Call Ailleen Vidal at 801-826-5493 or send an e-mail message to ailleen.vidal@canyonsdistrict.org.
