Finals and awards to the high School winners

Congratulations to all the participants in StoriesLive® first ever high school story slam. The scores were really close and all the tellers were ‘winners’ by bringing their stories and energy!  massmouth developed StoriesLive® to promote the unique voice of high school teens. We found listening to these stories powerfully moving.   Videos of all the components of our program; from the assemblies, in-class lessons and final performances can be viewed at http://massmouth.org - StoriesLive®. This program received seven LCC grants and generous support of a project grant from MassHumanities.org.

Our massmouth storyteller-educators have heard over 1,200 personal stories from high school juniors and seniors in Abington, Andover, Boston Latin Academy, Everett, Lynn Classical, and Newburyport high schools.  The best of the stories heard in the classroom moved on to tell in front of a larger high school audience.  The best of each high school competed on April 30th, 2011 for a share $5000 in scholarship cash. Prizes were awarded for any post-secondary educational endeavor as follows: $2,000 for the 1st place  and $1000 each to 2 runners up.  $500 to the Audience Choice winner. A $500 award is a discretionary prize from massmouth to any student in the program.

Here are our first year prize winners:
1st place for $2,000 scholarship for any post-secondary educational endeavor –
Brianda Agramonte, Lynn Classical High School, senior,  for her story "Big Red Gum"

2 runners up  $1,000 scholarship -
Matthews DeSouza, Everett High School, junior

Matt Alves DeSouza receives his certificate for his win at the regional story slam on April 30th, 2011

Also a runner up with $1,000 award; Conor Miller,  Newburyport High School, junior ( picture from April 30th performance)

Conor Miller at the slam at the Cambridge Public Library - he had a long wait and did very well.

And our massmouth choice  winner, selected by massmouth educators for a $500 award-
Sandy Fonseca, Boston Latin Academy, senior

Sandy Fonseca Lopes receives her certificate from Torena Webb  Thomas,  massmouth storyteller/educator
who worked with Sandy at Boston  Latin Academy in April 2011.

StoriesLive® Audience Choice award of $500 towards any post secondary educational endeavor was awarded to:

Lexi Hernando, Lynn Classical High School, Senior

Katie Liesener leads a class at  Lynn Classical High School

Students practice stories at BLA

Students practice listening and telling at BLA

Ben Cunningham leads a class at Boston Latin Academy

Student Tellers For Program (Alphabetically by school)
ANDOVER HIGH SCHOOL, Andover, Mass.
Caylen Bryant   Where I’m From
Patrick Farnham   Learned the Hard Way
Michael Galletti   Learned the Hard Way
David Iannalfo   The First Time

BOSTON LATIN ACADEMY, Dorchester, Mass
Julio Abreu     The First Time
Sandy Fonesca   Lost and Found
Robert “Sonny” Finch  Where I Am From
Elvis Garcia     Learned the Hard Way
Barbara Kirby   The First Time
Vition Mbrica   Learned the Hard  the Way

EVERETT HIGH SCHOOL, Everett, Mass
Ryan Considine    Where I Am
Matt Alves DeSouza  The First Time
Eilish Faherty   Learned the Hard Way
Marie Goodman   Where I Am from
Claude Simon   Where I Am From
Qualified:  Francisco Lemus   and Kylan Nowell

LYNN CLASSICAL HIGH SCHOOL, Lynn, Mass
Brianda Agramonte   The First Time
Dammy Dada   The First Time
Chris Divorell   Learned the Hard Way
Maho Dzekic    Where I’m From
Lexy Hernando              Lost and Found
Chastity Mathurin   Learned the Hard Way
Riley McManus   The First Time
Ann-Louise Rescigna  Learned the Hard Way

NEWBURYPORT, Newburyport, Mass
Jack Brophy    Learned the Hard Way
Heather Davis   Lost and Found
Sam Ettenborough   Learned the Hard Way?
Hannah Koen   The First Time
Conor Miller    The First Time
Nat Muros    The First Time
Andrew Orlando   Where I’m From
Qualified: Nora Casey
Emcee: senior Masio Dotson from BOSTON LATIN ACADEMY

Reach  us at stories@massmouth.com or call us at 617-942-2553 to find out how  you can donate to or to bring StoriesLive® to your school next year.

Storytellers and educators from massmouth in StoriesLive®
Executive Director/ Project Director
Norah Dooley 
Program Director/Project Director
Andrea Lovett
Managing Director/Project Director
Nicolette Nordin Heavey 
massmouth storytellers/educators:
Dan Dahari,  HR Britton, Karen Given, Ben Cunningham, Katie Liesener, Tony Toledo, Lani Peterson, Torena Webb, Esther Piszczek
Adjunct storytellers:
Paula H. Junn and Maddie Panella
Project Videography and Photography:
Paula H. Junn
We thank all our generous Scholarship Donors:
Morton Financial
In memory of Helen Moore
Charles and Andrea Lovett
Blair and Nicolette Heavey
Robert Fairchild & Norah Dooley
Marcelo and Marcela Lopez
Juan and Norma Sanchez
Allen and Stephanie Maruzzi
Karen and Raymond Chace
Richard and Patricia Thompson
Tina Jaillet
Daryl Mark
Bambi Good
Lucy Patton
Marie Claire Humblet
Joan Radner
Hal Miller-Jacobs
Gail Leicher
Laura Stock
Judith Nathans
Elizabeth Gospodarek
Bruce Marcus
Nina Berger
ML Grimaldi-Marvel
Mimi Grosser
David Briola

We thank our distinguished judges Tony Toledo, master storyteller and emcee, Judith Black, master  storyteller and last year's recipient of 1st prize at the BigMouthOff (adult story slam), Holly Samuels, media specialist/Librarian at Cambridge Latin High School and a expert story listener, Karla Nicholson, Executive Director of Haymarket People's Fund, Karen Given, massmouth member StoriesLive® teacher,storyteller and a producer for ONLY A GAME on NPR and  Brooks Dyroff is a 2011 finalist for the Hockey Humanitarian Award. He and Kenny Haisfield  founded CEO 4 Teens in December 2006.

Thanks to all the staff and teachers at the high schools in  StoriesLive®:
Andover High School: Rebecca D’Alise,  Eric Pellerin,  Brian Shea, Pat Whalen
Boston Latin Academy: Amy Berinato
Everett High School: Sarah Belson, Andrea Cerchione, Michael Fineran,  Ryan McGowan,  Linda O’Brien, Valerie Shively
Lynn Classical High School: Jerry Burke, Daniel Collins, Patty Frey, Erica Tolley, Jack Vandergriff
Newburyport High School:  Tom Abrams, Susie Galvin,  Constantina Knecht, Steve Malenfant, Deb Szabo

StoriesLive® First Ever High School Scholarship Story Slam

Congratulations to all the participants in StoriesLive® first ever high school story slam on April 30th, 2011 at the beautiful, new Auditorium of the Cambridge Public Library. The scores were really close and all the tellers were ‘winners’ by bringing their stories and energy! We have the three prize winners: 1st place for $2,000 scholarship for any post-secondary educational endeavor –

Brianda Agramonte, Lynn Classical High School, senior

2 runners up  $1,000 scholarship-

Matthews DeSouza, Everett High School, junior

Conor Miller,  Newburyport High School, junior

And our massmouth choice for a $500 award: -

Sandy Fonseca, Boston Latin Academy, senior

StoriesLive®  Audience choice award of $500 towards any post secondary educational endeavor.

Lexi Hernando, Lynn Classical High School, Senior

Here is what some of the voters said:
Her story really hit me on the gut level…. Loved it
Her story send a positive message that young people struggle with
everywhere…finding themselves.
Suicide awareness is brought along with this truly captivating story.
Brave story constructed with a good sense of drama.

The Big Mouth Off 2011

(l. to r. )Ben Cunningham, 1st, Farrah Haidar, 2nd and Helena Leet- Pellegrini, 3rd

The Big Mouth Off 2011
by Andrea Lovett on April 27th, 2011



Last night the stars were out. It was time for the very talented tellers of the 2010/11 Story Slam Season to shine and tell their winning tales. Rabb Hall was filled to capacity as Norah Dooley mc'd the night brilliantly. Bruce Marcus and HR Britton led the audience in games and stories during a brief intermission.   
The judges had an incredibly hard task to choose just three tellers from a deep bench. We are pleased to announce the winners from last night's BigMouthOff are as follows: Ben Cunningham in first place, Ben told the hilarious story about a shoplifter hiding meat in his pants, Farrar Haider in second place, telling us the story of being from "Here and There" beautifully told with a satisfying ending and Helena Leet-Pellegrini in third place, Helena told the side splitting story about a ticket that ended up being a whole lot of trouble.

We have not one but two winners of the Audience Choice Award category this year and they are Ellen Robertson and Justin Werfel. Ellen told us a story from her college days when she had this wonderful idea to take dancing to inmates that were soon to be released. (listen for the podcast coming soon) and Justin told the story of Moose Encounters in Alaska. He had prepared for encounters with bears but moose?... listen for the upcoming podcast.

We are pleased to announce Katie Liesener as this years winner of the 2.0 Award. As many of you know Katie always has stories that delight and surprise us. This award is given to someone each year that supports massmouth's mission to "...renew the timeless art of storytelling in Massachusetts by building audience while engaging a new generation of tellers..."

The Judges had a hard job

We began the competition with Michael Anderson’s humorous story about his work as a Male Sensitivity Trainer and how he got fired. Very funny! Susanne Boitano  AKA (Mrs. L) told us her tale of a doomed corned beef sandwich.  Caro Gay Bosca took us up above the clouds in a vintage plane that nearly cost her life.  Good thing she used to be a stunt pilot- what an amazing story.  Laura Cannon took us to the outhouse and beyond in ...Iraq during the war, well have you ever wondered? me too, David Corbeau told us about some cats and thing that go bump in the night. Well told David! Ben Cunningham told his winning story he titled "The Magician", Dan Dahari, always a crowd pleaser (he has previously won 2 audience choices) made us laugh as he ate mushrooms and decided to go to the crowded Earth Day Concert with Green Day (good move ?) Last year's winner and stellar storyteller Judith Black kicked off the next set with a brand new story about her recent European vacation.

Norah Dooley and Andrea Lovett, co-founders of massmouth & storyslams

Elissa Davidson told about the life and death of Eggbert, a good fish, which made us laugh and wonder.  Farrah Haider told her second place story with her thought provoking story about being from here AND there. Mary Hannon told a story about a dysfunctional family  Xmas and how she left a little bit of herself behind at the scene when she left to go home. Helena Leet Pellegrini  won third place, with her story which began with the first meeting with her parole officer.  Katie Liesener told the story of an older sister(Katie) and her younger sister Mindy and the games people play ,especially when you are an older sibling with a competitive streak, Katie is the recipient of this years 2.0 award as mentioned previously, Robin Maxfield and the muffin man and two kids later, curious? this was a very funny story that landed her on the front page of a local newspaper, Tori Piskin is a rising star and told about the experience of babysitting the kids from hell, Jo Radner always a crowd pleaser told of love and salamanders,very funny, Bob Rieser brought us back and forth through time to a place called 'Flabbush', the audience delighted in calling out 'flabbush!' (and he encouraged it), Ellen Robertson won the audience choice award with Justin Werfel. She told about organizing a community service dances in prison project, while Justin told of Moose Encounters. Elizabeth Wylie had us roaring with laughter at the end of the night with her story of Boston to New York delivering things from "Bowl and Bored".

Paula Junn (left) and Maddie Panella

In short or (now long) the evening was, by my account, an overwhelming success thanks to all the impromptu storytellers from the audience and the volunteers including Gina Mittal, 
Harrison Sywter, and all-around, stand up guy, Tony Toledo. We love how Violet Maxfield  is always pitching in. And we thanked and acknowledged our interns Paula Junn, (an incredible photographer who donates many hours) and our Lesley College, Expressive Therapies Intern, Maddie Panella.  
We thank our hardworking panel of judges: Brian O'Donovan,  WGHB ACeltic Sojourn host, Deborah Henson Conant amazing HipHarp Artist, Josna Rege author and Worcester College professor, Kerry Schmidt ReadBoston literacy specialist and storyteller, Heba Salem valued volunteer, Shiela Leavitt who we love to death for all she does for massmouth, and of course Bambi Good our Chief Justice who is an amazing advocate for our work who gets the word out - everywhere. 

Katie Liesener, Storyteller 3.0 Award

Justin Werfel, Audience Choice

Ellen Robertson, Audience Choice with

Thank you to our donors Tuscan Villa (you know who you are anonymous) Peter Picket from the Grist Mill BnB in South Woodstock Vermont and Inn Magnolia's Amanda Nash . (Please check the website for details of the Prizes) Nkki (great website) Lamagna, Gus from Toscannis, Woo Taing from Kennedys Midtown, Josh Fine podcasting ,Leeza, Doria Hughes, Robin Maxfield on videos and to all of you who helped make this our second year a great success. Karen Chace who proof reads (as much as we can send to her in time) before we publish. PS> Not this article.  If you are not mentioned here ? Please don't think you are not appreciated - you are,  beyond your wildest dreams. Drop us a line and we will add you in.Tons more pics at our new Facebook page, thanks to Paula Junn.