Silver Valley history performed at CES

CATALDO — “We have had such a great week here at Canyon,” said Jenny Ferreira, Canyon Elementary Science Magnet School (CES) principal and teacher, at the beginning of the Artist in Residence performance. “It’s been so fun watching the kids learn their performances, learn new things, and take some risks. I can’t thank Paul and Carol Roberts enough for their time.”

The Artist in Residence program began at CES to help immerse students in an area of art and expression, with this year’s focus on theater arts and the history of the Silver Valley. This year’s Artists in Residence are a familiar staple to the Silver Valley (and I’m not just saying this because they are my parents).

Both Paul and Carol have worked in the Wallace and Kellogg school districts, are members of the Silver Valley Chamber, have performed on the Sixth Street Melodrama stage for decades, and most recently, have created their own business, cultivating creativity for school-aged children and adults.

“I enjoyed making those connections between students we worked with at Canyon and students we previously worked with at the high school,” Carol said. “All of the students did incredible work for a week’s practice.”

Although the couple put in a lot of effort writing the scripts, songs, and more over the course of the week, they explained that it also went smoothly due to the incredible staff at CES.

“Good on you, Jenny Ferreira,” Paul said. “Along with her staff, she has created a place that is simple and elemental, where the children are prized.”

The show began with the fourth and fifth-grade students, starting with a more somber topic yet ending with the “Canyon School Boogie” to give them a chance to dance.

The students created a multimedia presentation about the Cataldo Mission of the Sacred Heart. Students ran the spotlight, created a PowerPoint presentation, and narrated the history of the oldest building in Idaho, located about 4.5 miles away from the school.

“We want to give a shout-out to the Sixth Street Melodrama in Wallace for letting us borrow the spotlight, props and more,” Carol said.

Next were the kindergarten and first-grade students performing songs and telling stories about the Gold Rush, including the discovery of gold in Coeur d’Alene and Andrew Prichard’s discovery up by the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River.

The students sang songs like “The Miners Go Marching One by One” and other popular songs that were recreated for historical (and pretty dang cute) purposes.

Last, but certainly not least, were the second and third-grade students, who told the story of Noah Kellogg and his beloved Burro Bill.

“I went on a creative retreat,” Carol said. “I worked on the songs and scripts over the majority of five days. The teachers were incredibly helpful throughout the process this past week and on performance day.”

Paul and Carol worked in the Kellogg School District before retiring a few years ago and creating their own business called Grow Me A Story. This includes a podcast titled “Dream and Bones,” where they sit down and interview influential creative people from the Silver Valley, like retired Kellogg School District teacher Joy Persoon and piano player Carl Rowe, who can be seen tickling the ivories often at 6th and Cedar in Wallace. The couple also works with school-aged children to cultivate their creativity with after-school classes, summer camps, and more.

For more information, visit their website at https://www.growmeastory.com/, their Facebook page, Grow Me a Story LLC, or if you have any specific questions, email paulandcarol@growmeastory.com.