MS MEMOIR STORY SLAM
Eighth Graders Present in “Memoir Story Slam”
In their English classes, eighth graders at North Shore Middle School were asked to continue to explore their North Shore journey of learning and wonder. Their teachers asked them to think about, “What makes us, us?” Through countless brainstorming, drafting, conferences, and applied memoir writing lessons, the 2022-23 NSMS eighth graders wrote memoirs that began to build this answer. “These stories are OUR stories, and we share them to inspire, to make you laugh, to tug at the heart, and to show the world how very much alike we truly are.”

On October 24, 2022, the 8th graders assembled in the new middle school commons area to participate in the “Memoir Story Slam” where each student had the opportunity to read a portion of their memoir or a friend’s memoir to their peers, teachers, and staff.

“The Memoir Story Slam is a great way to give these burgeoning writers an authentic audience that can appreciate not only the life experiences and memories, but what it took to develop their memoirs into something that could be proudly shared,” said English Teacher Elliot Touretz.

Bravo to all of the students for engaging in this important writing and public speaking opportunity. The memoirs captured various personal experiences including being strong like grandma, a loss of a loved one or pet, and losing an important game – to name a few!  These authentic memoirs not only demonstrated each child’s writing ability and collaboration skills as committed individuals, but also better prepared our eighth graders for future writing assignments as they move up to high school.

Thank you to all of the English teachers including Noel Beccarino, Courtney Cowie, Jessica Donovan, Elliot Touretz, and Diane Vestuto who worked tirelessly on this successful writing experience for our students at North Shore Middle School.

Article and photos by Shelly Newman with assistance from Ms. Jessica Donovan