Years from now, will the story still be told of the month the skeletons moved in at Oakdale Elementary School?
Surely the fourth-graders who are part of the story will never forget. And their teacher and parents will remember, too.
The story begins with Oakdale teacher K.C. Begley.
She said she noticed the children in her neighborhood rushing to see a display of skeletons in a neighbor’s yard last year. The neighbor regularly changed the position and display of the skeletons, which sparked the kids’ interest.
And that gave Begley the idea: She would have each student write a story about skeletons, then pose the bony figures on Oakdale’s lawn in a scene from their story.
Skeletons, suitcases in hand, moved in to Oakdale’s lawn as a lead-up to Halloween.
Each of the 18 students wrote a short narrative about the five skeletons who settled in at the Westside Community School at 9801 West Center Road.
“We discuss character, setting, plot ... et cetera. Each student has written a narrative and is responsible for providing a setting (for a skeleton) that corresponds to their narrative,” Begley said.
“The kids have been inspired by all of the possibilities with the skeletons,” she said. “This activity has proven to be a great language activity for the entire class.”
Grace McCarthy drew inspiration from her experiences camping with her family, Begley said. Grace’s parents were enthusiastic about the project and helped their daughter with props.
Grace’s “setting most definitely told a story,” Begley said. That setting featured a campsite, complete with tent.
Hope Weber also drew from a favorite experience — Husker football season.
“Hope led us through an experience of five mischievous skeletons on their way to partake at a Husker tailgate party,” Begley said.
Hope enjoys this Nebraska tradition with her family and decided that the skeletons might also “have a ball” in true Nebraska fashion, the teacher said. The student’s display had plenty of red balloons.
A running log of the skeletons’ adventures was on display in the haunted hallways at Oakdale.
With October’s end, the students’ work — and the skeletons — were put to rest.
But the autumn that the skeletons came to Oakdale will be shared for years to come — a special book will be kept at Oakdale library.
Contact the writer:
444-1165, sue.truax@owh.com
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