A delightful storytelling contest featuring Korean American children as the stars of the future was recently held by the Korean Schools of Northern California (President: Mi-Jeon Lee).
Participants of the contest dressed in costumes to match the stories they were telling and entertained the audience with vibrant and engaging Korean folktales. Despite being born and raised in the U.S., the children impressed teachers, parents, and attendees with their clear Korean pronunciation and expressive storytelling.
The event opened with student Ji-O Lee narrating ‘Heungbu and Nolbu’, followed by Eo-Jin Lim who brought along puppets to enhance her rendition of ‘The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon’. A total of 14 students took part in the competition, each memorizing their stories and delivering them with dynamic gestures, facial expressions, and character voices that drew the audience into the magical tales.
The top prize, the Grand Award, went to student Tanria for her compelling performance of The Red Bean Porridge Granny and the Tiger. Dressed in a grandmother’s wig, glasses, and walking stick, she narrated the story with clarity and charm.
The Second Prize was awarded to Tae-Eun Kim for her performance of The ‘Red Fan and the Blue Fan’, while Third Prize honors went to Ji-O Lee and Ji-In Kim for their stories ‘Heungbu and Nolbu’ and ‘The Golden Fish and the Greedy Grandma’, respectively. All winners received certificates and prizes.
Additionally, all participants were given a certificate of participation to encourage their efforts.
The judging panel consisted of former association presidents Susie Coover, Kyung-Hee Lee, and Jung-Ok Lee. Judge Susie Coover commented, “Interestingly, the youngest participants were the most expressive and fun to watch. It’s amazing and heartwarming to see children who were born and raised here speak Korean so well. The success of today’s event is thanks to the dedication of principals, teachers, and especially parents. We applaud everyone involved.”
President Mi-Jeon Lee also delivered an opening speech, welcoming all participants and expressing appreciation for the support of teachers and parents from each school.
Notably absent was Hye-Jung Heo, Director of the Korean Education Center in San Francisco, who was unable to attend due to a business trip. Director Heo had previously informed the association of her schedule conflict.
Participants of the contest dressed in costumes to match the stories they were telling and entertained the audience with vibrant and engaging Korean folktales. Despite being born and raised in the U.S., the children impressed teachers, parents, and attendees with their clear Korean pronunciation and expressive storytelling.
The event opened with student Ji-O Lee narrating ‘Heungbu and Nolbu’, followed by Eo-Jin Lim who brought along puppets to enhance her rendition of ‘The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon’. A total of 14 students took part in the competition, each memorizing their stories and delivering them with dynamic gestures, facial expressions, and character voices that drew the audience into the magical tales.
The top prize, the Grand Award, went to student Tanria for her compelling performance of The Red Bean Porridge Granny and the Tiger. Dressed in a grandmother’s wig, glasses, and walking stick, she narrated the story with clarity and charm.
The Second Prize was awarded to Tae-Eun Kim for her performance of The ‘Red Fan and the Blue Fan’, while Third Prize honors went to Ji-O Lee and Ji-In Kim for their stories ‘Heungbu and Nolbu’ and ‘The Golden Fish and the Greedy Grandma’, respectively. All winners received certificates and prizes.
Additionally, all participants were given a certificate of participation to encourage their efforts.
The judging panel consisted of former association presidents Susie Coover, Kyung-Hee Lee, and Jung-Ok Lee. Judge Susie Coover commented, “Interestingly, the youngest participants were the most expressive and fun to watch. It’s amazing and heartwarming to see children who were born and raised here speak Korean so well. The success of today’s event is thanks to the dedication of principals, teachers, and especially parents. We applaud everyone involved.”
President Mi-Jeon Lee also delivered an opening speech, welcoming all participants and expressing appreciation for the support of teachers and parents from each school.
Notably absent was Hye-Jung Heo, Director of the Korean Education Center in San Francisco, who was unable to attend due to a business trip. Director Heo had previously informed the association of her schedule conflict.
