Lauren VaneStudents at Sun View School saw...

Lauren Vane

Students at Sun View School saw their writing come to life in a

school assembly Tuesday morning. With the help of actors from the

Imagination Machine, an Orange County children’s theater company,

students from kindergarten to fifth grade saw some of the stories

they had written performed in front of their peers.

“Anything that we can do to motivate and bring to life their

writing, we do,” said Principal John Drake.

Students submitted their creative writing to the Imagination

Machine and the theater group chose nine stories to act out and

perform. From a tale about a lonely dragon to the legend of a heroic

principal, the stories spanned across genres and provided a window

into the students’ vivid imaginations.

“It’s kinda bringing their stories to life,” said Anna Tilton, a

second grade teacher.

The room filled with laughter as the students, teachers and

parents watched the actors transform themselves into the characters

the children had created. Actors Nathan Makanyk, Jasmine Curry and

Erin Lautsch sang, danced and acted with the help of musical

accompaniment by fellow company member Brian Sherick.

The stories the actors performed differed in topic and style,

showing the students that all kinds of creative writing can be fun.

“When you write a story, you can write about anything you want,”

Lautsch said to the students.

This is the third year the Imagination Machine has performed at

Sun View, Drake said. Students in each grade level are always

learning about the writing and editing process in class, Tilton said.

Writing is an important part of the curriculum at Sun View and the

school takes every opportunity to expand the students’ writing

skills, Drake said.

“Writing’s definitely a priority here,” Drake said.