Night of Legends at GMS

Grenada Middle School hosted its first-ever family literacy event, Night of Legends, on Thursday, March 23. The event introduced students in grades 6-8 and their families to exciting stories featuring classic figures from Greek mythology.

Following on the heels of other successful themed events throughout the district, Night of Legends brought out 100 participants to celebrate literacy. “Time and time again, our teachers, students, parents, and community members have remarked on how unique and refreshing these events are,” said event organizer Pam Briscoe, the district’s ELA Instructional Specialist. “There’s just something special about hearing a good story read aloud.”

Students and their parents were divided into four groups to hear classic Greek myths read aloud by members of the community. Staff members, dressed in Greek garb, ushered families into classrooms that had been transformed into fanciful settings with the help of community business and civic organizations. 

In the Grenada Chamber of Commerce-sponsored room, representative Alexia Gavin read the story of Baucis and Philemon. This tale, representing hospitality, features two peasants who welcome the disguised gods Zeus and Hermes into their home when no one else would take them in.

GSD Business Manager Rodney Murphy read the story of Phaethon and Helios, the story of a son’s disastrous ride in his father’s chariot. After the story, participants were invited to drive their own robot chariots through an obstacle course set up and managed by the school’s robotics team, Pure Imagination.

Dodie McElmurray, CEO of community hospitals for the University of Mississippi Medical Center, read the tale of Perseus and Medusa in a room that was dramatically lit and decorated by Grenada Elementary LEAP Art teacher Martha Liberto and Sara Frances Horan, Director of Physician and Community Relations for UMMC.

Finally, Guaranty Bank and the Flower Company sponsored a room featuring the bank’s senior vice president in Grenada, Frank Bradford, Jr. He read the story of Narcissus and Echo, and then students were treated to a daffodil bulb-planting demo by volunteer gardeners from Guaranty Bank.

In each room, students received a commemorative trading pin, designed exclusively for the event by Kaysha Siemens of Kaysha Siemens Fine Art in Asheville, North Carolina.  

The evening culminated with a reception, where students and family members enjoyed refreshments and took photos with Perseus and Medusa, played by GMS parents Chris and Meredith Edwards. Each student received a gift bag with books of Greek myths to commemorate the evening. The reception was sponsored by MC + Three Party Co., Bloomin' Hills Farm & Flowers, Carroll Black Flowers, 333 Restaurant, and the GMS Cafeteria.

"Visiting these classrooms, our families had a unique opportunity to not only listen to a story but to fall in love with a story, much like they probably did when their children were younger,” Briscoe said.

GMS Principal Marshall Whittemore commended the staff and community partners who contributed to the event. “A lot of hard work has gone toward the shared goal of encouraging literacy within our school,” Whittemore said. “We want all students to be good readers and to enjoy reading. I think events like this help promote reading in a new and unique way that students can relate to.”

Briscoe said she has heard a lot of positive feedback from students, parents, and the community following a string of successful literacy nights and plans to organize more events at various schools around the district. 

“These events give families the opportunity to come together, not just for sporting events or celebrating arts, but celebrating academics as a family,” she said. “This is an instructional celebration. It’s a unique opportunity for our families to be involved in the actual learning that takes place in our district.”