'Everyone has their own story': Woodland Elementary hosts open mic

Woodland Elementary's gym filled with applause and laughter Tuesday night as more than 30 students, some as young as 4, stepped to the microphone to share stories that ranged from ninja warriors to dream pets. Woodland held its first Open Mic Night as part of the school's Family Engagement Team initiative, inviting students from Pre-K through fifth grade to read original writing for families and friends. Family Engagement Chair and Third Grade Teacher Jordan Dison said the response to the event was overwhelming. "Woodland's first Open Mic Literacy Night was the result of a big dream and a whole lot of teamwork," she said. "We wanted to provide a meaningful space for students of all ages to share their voice with an authentic audience. Our students represent such diversity, and we believe each individual has important stories to tell. "Thanks to the incredible support of our teachers, staff, administration and families, as it became a truly special evening," she added. "Seeing this event through the planning and implementation has been a huge blessing and makes me so proud to be part of such an amazing learning community. A whole team, led by art teacher Hailey Eaton, completely transformed our cafeteria into a cozy cafe for the evening, making the ambience something that students and families will always remember." Before the first student took the stage, Emily Katt with the Jonesborough Storytelling Guild offered reassurance. "Raise your hand if you're a storyteller," she said, as small hands popped out from the crowd. "There's so many, but it should have been every hand. Every single hand should have gone up because you're all storytellers. We need stories and we need your stories." Behind the children, a sign read, "Everyone has their own story," and one by one each student brought theirs to life. Fifth grader Maille McCarty read a poem celebrating her school and friendships, starting with, "Roses are red and violets are blue, Woodland is awesome and so are you." Kindergartener Louis Grizzell told a story about ninja warriors and shared his own drawings to match. Third grader Ella Stone described a trip to Universal Studios, declaring butterbeer tastes like ice cream. Annabelle Budds, a fifth grader, introduced listeners to Eleanor and her dream pet mouse, Jerry. Raelynn, a Pre-K student, celebrated her love of rainbows. Elsie, a third grader, read "Me and My Horse," while Oshanofe Elliot, also in third grade, shared a story about his family trip to Jamaica to visit his cousin. Second graders Brooke and Everly encouraged kindness, with Everly asking, "How will you spread kindness today?" The evening's featured speaker, Madelyn Campbell, a Science Hill High School senior and Woodland alum who won the 2025 Young Playwrights Festival at Barter Theatre, reflected on her journey from sitting cross-legged in the Woodland library to earning first place for her play. "Just keep writing," Campbell said. "That is the piece of advice I have received from every parent, every teacher and every student in my whole life." Campbell said she once dreamed of becoming a fiction novelist, inspired by books she loved in elementary school, including works by Jack Gantos. "Reading those books made me feel understood," she said. "It made me feel like he was writing about me and my life and my experiences, and I wanted to make other people feel that way." She encouraged students to challenge themselves as they continue to read and write. "One of the first things I learned, aside from common placements and sentence types, was that it was very important to challenge yourself — to find the things that are scary and you don't quite understand and face them head on, read books on them, ask questions about them, ask more questions, and then ask some more questions," she said. "Writing is going to put you on a path of discovery and learning that is unlike any other," Campbell said. "The road is going to be winding. The road is going to be long. It's going to be fun and exciting and always have something to offer." By her freshman year of high school, Campbell said she had written 304 poems. She recently earned first place at the Barter Playwright Festival for her play "What the Gorge Looks Like," which depicts the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and is scheduled to be performed Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Barter Theatre. "I may not have published yet, but I feel like first place at the Barter Playwright Festival is pretty close," she said. "This play and these poems finally gave me what I was looking for since the last time I was here in these seats — to make someone feel understood." Dison said the community response was ultimately positive, and that they look forward to making this event a part of their school culture moving forward. "Open Mic Night was my absolute favorite Woodland event in the seven years I've had children at the school," said Grete M. Scott, Woodland parent. "Our art and music showcases are always wonderful, but there was something uniquely special about hearing students share work they created entirely on their own. Listening to their sweet, brave and vulnerable voices made the evening joyful and unforgettable. I truly hope this becomes a tradition." Dr. Dedra Lamb, assistant principal, said events like Open Mic Night highlight the importance of nurturing strong literacy habits. "When students continue to write regularly and read a wide variety of books, they expand their ideas, strengthen their voice and build connections to the world and people around them," she said. "We are incredibly grateful to our families for their encouragement and support in making this event such a success. We look forward to celebrating our student authors again next year!" Students who participated in the open mic night said it was an exciting opportunity for them. "I was a little nervous, but I was smiling a lot!" said Louis Grizzell, kindergartner. "It was fun! I started making a chapter book." "Being part of Open Mic Night was nerve-racking, but also exciting because I really want to become a writer when I grow up," said Natalie Carter, fifth grader. "Sharing a story that I made helped my confidence." "It was a lot of fun once I got up on stage," said Charlie Greenwell, fifth grader. "Everybody there was so kind and clapped for all the stories." "Even though I was really nervous to share on stage, it ended up being really fun, but my favorite part of the night was listening to all the other stories," said Elsie Dison, third grader.