By Maya Betti, KYMN News Intern
Northfield High School’s student-led historical writing group, SCOPE, will present its annual Cemetery Stories program on Monday, June 9, at 6 p.m. at Oaklawn Cemetery.
The program features original scripts researched, written, and performed by students, each from the imagined perspective of a deceased Northfield resident.
Guided tours will bring participants to five selected gravesites, where students will perform their prepared dialogues based on their own historical research.
SCOPE began as a high school course in which freshmen, guided by upperclassmen, researched the lives of individuals buried in local cemeteries. Today, it continues as a student-led club that meets periodically at the Northfield Historical Society, where members use archival resources to inform and develop their original scripts.
Student leader Anna helped guide the writing process this year.
“We try to step into their shoes and try to write scripts from how we think they would have seen the world.” – Anna, KYMN News Interview
Another student leader, Ben, said he found out about the program after an 8th-grade presentation. As someone who is interested in historying and telling stories, he was drawn to the program.
“For me, one of the big things about the program that got me interested is I am a history guy and I like learning and retelling stories. I love telling stories. When I had a little presentation as an 8th… whole project of Cemetery Stories told of… it was a great experience overall.” – Ben, KYMN News Interview
This year’s event includes a variety of voices, such as a Carleton College dean, a schoolteacher, and the man who photographed the James-Younger Gang following the failed 1876 raid. One story, written by student Astrid, features a fictional dialogue between two women who were married to the same man.
Anna noted the range of characters in this year’s lineup.
“So It’s a diverse group of characters we are doing, and we’re really excited to share them ” – Anna, KYMN News Interview
Once again, the event takes place Monday, June 9, at 6 p.m. to 7:20 p.m. at Oaklawn Cemetery. The event is free and open to the public. No registration is required.
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