This article appeared in the Fall 2008 issue of the Journal of the Colorado Language Arts Society.

Written by
Dana Nardello, Literacy Teacher - Aurora Central High School
Julie Bailey, Douglas County Schools (retired)

On a Saturday afternoon in early May, the Barnes and Noble at Aurora City Place sheltered eleven eager high school students. Teachers, families, administration, and friends joined them, sharing tears as an Aurora Central student read aloud her short story about a relative who passed away, and laughter, as a young boy read about his devotion to win the love of his middle school crush.

Poised, professional, and brave, these eleven students represent some of the best of Aurora Central’s published authors whose writing, poignant and honest, has been published in their very own anthology: Melting Box of Crayons: True Stories and Poems by Urban High School Students.

As this trio of individual voices attests, these pages contain powerful stories of struggles, triumphs, and dreams of the future:

Student Writer #1: I was afraid if I let him back in my life, I’d only be giving him my heart and a free pass to the meat grinder.

Student Writer #2: That was the year I changed forever. Halfway through the year Emily asked me to promise, to SWEAR that if she died while we were dating that I would not date another girl until she got out of my head. So I agreed because I thought that would never happen.

Student Writer #3: Today I am 15 years old and no longer getting high. It has been four years and I am still seeing a specialist. I see her once a month. Life is much better now and I’m very happy.

As you might guess, the Melting Box anthology did not simply appear overnight, but was the result of efforts by students and teachers over many months.

In 2007, Michelle Otte, Aurora Central English Department Chair, submitted a proposal for a grant to the Aurora Education Foundation to publish a book of student writing that would portray the powerful stories and perspectives of Aurora Central students. Literacy teacher Dana Nardello, in her first full year of teaching, agreed to oversee the project and take the student work to publication.

Students were encouraged to revisit their drafted personal stories, written in both prose and poetic form, and submit them for consideration. The Central Voices project was promoted to the entire school and writers emerged everywhere, crossing grade levels and abilities. Soon, an overwhelming number of submissions waited for review. During after-school hours, students received editing assistance from language arts teachers, which added to the voice and empowerment of the writers.

After the editing sessions, Dana held rehearsals during which she worked with the students’ public speaking. They practiced reading their pieces to one another, mastering the art of reading aloud while making eye contact, projecting their voices, and overcoming nervousness.

Students crafted the chapter titles of the anthology, choosing to blend colors and themes, including “Loss Black — Shining a Light into Unknown Darkness,” and “Lessons Learned Blue — the River that Flows Through Our Journey.” Although four names appear on the cover as editors (Michelle Otte, Janet Clark, Dana Nardello, and Bryan Gasior), all language arts teachers were acknowledged for helping students see themselves as writers.

The greatest challenge of publishing a student anthology was sifting through and editing the many submissions that were received. It was difficult to reject submissions knowing that these young writers were pouring out their hearts and making strong approximations as writers. Since then, the Central Voices project has been informed that they did it the hard way, and the publisher can do the editing for the next book.

The greatest reward was the empowerment that could be seen on the faces of the young writers. It was energizing for participating educators to listen to them describe their style, intent, and their plans for their next steps in writing. Their voices and stories were acknowledged by a live audience, and for many of them it was both heart-wrenching and healing. They were poised, professional and powerful.

In her forward to Melting Box of Crayons, Aurora Central language arts teacher Stephanie Jarman Nelson writes:

Crayons rarely disappear, even a melted crayon. Its oily combination of wax and pigment at least leaves a stain or a scent. . . . These students’ writings celebrate their youth, their literacy, and their coming of age honestly. These are no small voices. The themes in these pieces resonate beyond color. Joy, love, sadness, pain, and hunger are not condition of color, race, or religion. These are the human condition. The students’ bodies at Aurora Central melt together in the halls, at pep assemblies, on the playing fields, and in the classrooms, and together they are their own unique hue. I ask myself daily what I have to teach these children. Perhaps the only answer is that we let our voices melt together also.

Rightfully so, these diverse student voices earned some well-deserved recognition at the celebratory reading in May 2008. Local author J. D. Mason, on site for her own booksigning, joined the students for an informal discussion about writing. Not only did Aurora Mayor Paul Taur write a letter applauding their accomplishments, but thanks to the sponsorship of Barnes and Noble, all of the anthologies were sold, and all profits will support the next edition of the series.

Julie Bailey was CLAS president in 2007-08, taught at Aurora Central for 23 years, and retired from Douglas County Schools in 2003. Dana Nardello is beginning her second year of teaching at Aurora Central High School… Both are fellows of the Denver Writing Project.

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