Ghosts of Baccalieu Bookmaking Workshop - Tricon Elementary School
Location: Bay de Verde, NL
NLAC Program Funded Under: ArtsSmarts
Amount Funded: $5,400
Cover design by Coby Loveless, Grade 4
Dates: October 14 to June 13, 2013
Project Contact: Gillian Noonan, Tricon Elementary
Teachers: Donna Barrett, Diane Hopkins, Shawn Kelly, Debbie Milley, Holly Lockyer Lee, Cathie Hicks, Kenny Curlew
Website: www.theghostsofbaccalieu.com
Artist Contact: Charis Cotter
Working with award-winning children’s writer and editor Charis Cotter, 105 students at Tricon Elementary in Bay de Verde embarked on the creative process to write, proofread, illustrate, and design a book. Each student contributed something to the publication, whether it was a short story or visual art that followed a theme, paying tribute to the long-standing tradition of passing on ghost stories.
The book, which is titled The Ghosts of Baccalieu, boasts 56 coloured illustrations and 64 storiesrepresenting the culmination of a process that began last fall when students were asked to collect ghost stories from their families and friends.
Stories collected include ghastly apparitions such as Old Hollies screaming in the wind, Jacky-Lanterns dancing on the water, dead fishermen seeking revenge, shipwrecked sailors, ghostly longboats, blueberry-picking ghosts and mysterious figures that appear on the highway at midnight.
Students from Kindergarten to grade six were involved in the project that ultimately resulted in a 152-page book which was be presented to their community on June 13 during an event in the school’s gym. Student artwork for the book will be exhibited at the school and some students who authored short stories read excerpts. A special guest ghost from beyond the grave even greeted visitors at the event.
Q & A with Charis Cotter...
NLAC: How did you conceive the project and what was the process you went through to set it up?
Charis Cotter
Charis: Whenever I go to schools with my presentation for my book, A World Full of Ghosts, the students always want to tell me their own ghost stories. There’s never enough time to hear them all. My first thought was to conduct a writing workshop at schools and use their ghost stories for the material, thinking that their enthusiasm for ghosts would translate into enthusiasm for writing. But then I thought, why not go one step further and make a book? I’ve been in the publishing industry for a long time, I thought it would be a wonderful experience for them to learn all the steps that go into bookmaking.
I’d visited Tricon with book presentations and really liked the atmosphere of the school, which is close to where I live, so I contacted Gillian Noonan and Wendy Clarke-Tizzard. They were enthusiastic, so we met and I began to plan the program. I shopped around to find a printer who could handle a project of this size. Eventually I decided to start my own publishing company, Baccalieu Books, to publish the book.
NLAC: What was it like to work with the youth in various grades at Tricon Elementary?
Charis: Honestly, it was a joy. They were all so excited and completely enthralled with the idea of ghosts. I changed my approach slightly for each age level: I tried not to make it too scary for the younger students. However, they surprised me by producing some very bloodthirsty pictures! Their ghosts tend to smile a lot while they drown people and throw them off cliffs! The older students got really involved in the storytelling and put a lot of effort into the writing and editing. They took it very seriously and took pains with the planning and execution of the cover designs. There were a few students from grades 5 and 6 who formed a publishing committee and helped with scanning the pictures, typing the stories and judging cover options. I was impressed by how hard they all worked and how competent they were with technology.
NLAC: What kind of activities did you do with students to help them with creative process?
Charis: The first thing I did was my book presentation for all the students in the school. The Silky Ghost from Scotland makes a dramatic appearance and introduces the children to ghosts around the world. Then I tell some Newfoundland ghost stories. The presentation and the Silky Ghost (who is pretty funny!) are a great way to stimulate their imaginations and show them how much fun books can be.
When I went to individual classrooms, I brought in picture books about ghosts to the younger grades, told them about some local ghosts and had discussions with them about the nature of ghosts. Then as they began to draw their pictures, the teachers and I circulated through the room, asking them to talk about their pictures. These conversations helped the children decide on what their captions would be.
With older students we had similar discussions and they each told their own ghost story. Most were collected from family and friends, but several students made up original ones. We talked about death and different kinds of beliefs about what happens after death.
We had a fairly intense editing class where they learned proofreader’s marks and did peer editing. When it came to the cover design, I brought in several books so they could see different cover designs and we discussed the cover as a marketing tool. The students did draft covers first and then we talked about what was working and what could be improved.
A haunted house by Fannel Esja, Grade 1
NLAC: What do you hope the students get from collaborating on this publication?
Charis: I hope they will have a new appreciation of books, now they know what goes into making them. I also hope they keep asking their parents and grandparents to tell them stories from the past. I like to think they know a lot more about ghosts and ghost stories, and a little more about the history and culture of their part of Newfoundland. And I hope they have a better understanding of the process of writing and how much fun it can be, along with the hard work.
NLAC: How did you choose the focus/subject matter for the project?
Charis: I have to confess that ghosts end up in most of my writing projects, one way or another. I do a Ghost Tour of Newfoundland schools every fall. A World Full of Ghosts is about how different cultures have their own particular ghosts, and what those ghosts reflect about those societies. I’ve been collecting Newfoundland ghost stories for a while now. I love how ghost stories touch on imagination, history and belief. Whenever I start talking about ghosts in a school, every student is suddenly wide awake and curious—kids love ghosts. I thought it would be good for them to write about something that arouses so much enthusiasm.
NLAC: How important are artistic and collaborative projects like this in the classroom?
Charis: I feel it’s vital to introduce students to art and artists at a young age so they accept art as an integral part of their lives. It already is—young children draw all the time, tell stories, and play make-believe. These collaborations with artists show them that this can continue into grown-up activities that are fulfilling and valuable. It’s good for them to experience making art as a combination of fun and hard work.
NLAC: How did this project fit/compare with other things you have done in the past?
Ghost dancing on water by Caitlin Rogers, Grade 1
Charis: With my book presentations, I’m in a school for a few hours. It was very rewarding to go back and work with the same students a couple of days a week for a few weeks. I got to know them and they got to know me. I enjoyed being part of the school community for a while. Compared to my other school experiences, this project was more demanding and more satisfying.
Despite all the planning that went into it, I still had to think on my feet and come up with teaching methods to suit the students and the situation. I was particularly excited about the positive response from families, who contributed such wonderful stories. And the school the staff was wonderfully supportive: very flexible with their schedules and helpful at every stage of the project.
NLAC: How does the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council (NLAC) funding from ArtsSmarts help?
Charis: Well, I just could not have done this without that support. It wouldn’t have happened. The school would not have been able to pay me for the hours I spent in the school and we wouldn’t have the money to pay the printing costs. The school contributed money to the project and I donated a lot of my time, but it wouldn’t have got off the ground without the ArtsSmarts grant.
The great thing about ArtsSmarts is that it is so wide open to different kinds of projects. It gives an artist free rein to use their imagination to come up with something that will be educational and fun. The projects can be as fulfilling for the artist as they are for the students.
NLAC: What spin off effects will this project have?
cover design by Cody Squires, Grade 6
Charis: The school is selling copies of the book to parents and the community, and using the money to pay for their share of the funding costs. My publishing company, Baccalieu Books, will be selling the book to a wider public and giving a percentage back to the school. The book will be a keepsake of the students’ work for their families, but it is also a valuable collection of oral ghost stories, which I hope will end up in schools and public libraries.
The students have the satisfaction of knowing they made a book and have their names and their work in print. They know the different parts of a book and what’s involved in creating them, from concept to final product. They have a greater sense of the culture and history of this part of Newfoundland, and they know what the word “Baccalieu” means (codfish)!
NLAC: What other projects and publications are you working on for the future?
Charis: I’m working on my own book of ghost stories, Spooked! Ghost Stories for Children from Haunted Newfoundland. I’m taking oral ghost stories from all over the island and transforming them into short stories with a child as the central character. My novel for children aged 9 to 12, The Swallow: A Ghost Story, will be published by Tundra Books (Random House) in 2013. I’m also working on another novel for children, set in Newfoundland and Labrador, and yes, there are ghosts!
Now that I’ve started my own publishing company, I’m planning to work on a series of books like The Ghosts of Baccalieu in different communities, especially those that are more remote. I went to Harbour Breton and English Harbour, as well as Fogo and Change Islands last summer looking for ghost stories, and I’d love to go back and work in the schools there, or anywhere else in Newfoundland and Labrador!
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