Overview
In-line with the 2019-20 Coming Together in Skokie (CTIS) focus, Coming Together: Journeys to Niles Township, the Origin Story project is a community storytelling project that aims to capture, amplify, and connect the stories of how our Niles Township community members came here.
As mentioned in Rosamin’s May 14 email, “Talk to any person in Niles Township and they’ll have a story for how they or their family got here. Some are stories of recent immigration, others of native inhabitants. Some are of being transported to these lands against their will, while others are of fleeing oppression. Our origin stories are as central to who we are as the cultures we are a part of and celebrate. For the past decade, Coming Together has explored some of the cultures present in our community. This year, we will explore something we all have in common: the stories of our journeys to Niles Township.”
Starting Point
We have identified a number of staff members who attended one of the D219 high schools as young people. We would ask a few of them to interview family members who can tell the story of coming to Niles Township and initially showcase those stories (Open House, Parent/Teacher Conferences) with the use of directional audio equipment. We would then reach out to others (students, parents, community members) and offer them the opportunity to tell their stories of settling in Niles Township. All of these stories would then be showcased (and possibly archived) in the Audio Spotlight technology either for the year or as a permanent installation at one or both of the high schools.
Capturing a Story
1. Identify a family member with an origin story about how they came to Nile Township
2. Consider the prompt - “How did we make __________ (Skokie, Morton Grove, Lincolnwood, Niles) our home?”
3. Utilize the voice recording app on your mobile device
Ex. iPhone = Voice Memo
4. Position your phone microphone approximately 6 - 8 inches from speaker’s mouth.
5. Record two versions of the story
1. Full length unrestricted version
2. 1 - 2 minute version
6. Visit _________ to upload both audio recordings and agree to the terms.
Technology
To create a unique and targeted listening experience, we propose investing in Audio Spotlights to be installed in the NN Library and main entrance alternatively. These Audio Spotlights will provide a directional audio presentation to small groups of listeners (2-3 at a time). They foster a listening experience that is collective yet highly personal. Each unit would be capable of playing several audio stories on a rotation, providing a wide range of coverage.
Ideally, we would purchase at least three Audio Spotlights. Each speaker and amplifier costs approximately $1600.
Utilization Beyond CTIS
These Audio Spotlights would be utilized extensively beyond the CTIS programming. These uses include but are not limited to:
Library
Utilized year-round and into the future to offer students additional tools for interacting with texts and enhancing their literacy.
English
Utilized in conjunction with American Literature and Composition English classes to provide new ways to share work done during the annual immigration unit.
World Languages
Utilized to provide additional spaces for students to interact with languages they are learning in our world language classes.
Testing the Technology Before Purchase
Holosonics offers the option of requesting a loaner of a demo machine. This would be ideal because it would allow us to interact with the equipment and determine if it would be appropriate for our purposes before making the commitment to buy.
