Funding story has happy ending
Assemblymember Mark Weprin (center) often speaks about the importance of art and music in education. “Children should love going to school,” he often says.
Weprin was instrumental in getting a state grant that brought The Early Stages Storytelling Program to local schools.
Drawing from folk and fairy tales from around the world, the program nurtures appreciation of the diversity of cultures and celebrates cultures represented by students’ families. It has been designed to enhance language and theater skills, reinforce an innate love of stories, and inspire confidence in verbal and written expression.
Recently, Weprin dropped in during a storytelling session at P.S. 213, the Carl Ullman School at 231-02 67th Avenue in Oakland Gardens.
Meeting with principal Bruce Baronoff (left) and Julia Morris, a storyteller from Early Stages, Weprin praised the program, saying it “exposes students to the richness of theater, the power of word, and the joys of performance. The students who participate will remember it for a lifetime.”
