Westminster Students Honored at Family Stories Festival at History Museum

Grace Andrews and Kristin Nyenhuis, two Westminster Christian Academy seventh graders, are among 13 young people who were honored at The Grannie Annie's Family Stories Festival at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park on June 5. They were among 46 students from across the United States who had their historical family stories published in Grannie Annie, Vol. 11.

Grace Andrews's story, titled "One Little Girl, One Night's Journey," tells about her grandmother who, as a five-year-old child, was spending the night at her grandmother's for the first time. Kristin Nyenhuis's story, titled "Henrik," tells about her great-grand-uncle, who in 1940 had to decide whether he could more effectively help the Norwegian Resistance by staying in Norway or by fleeing the country.

During the Festival, student authors read their stories and student artists told about their illustrations. "These talented and polished young people seized the hearts of the audience members and gave us an unforgettable taste of the hundreds of powerful family stories captured by students who took part in The Grannie Annie this year," said Connie McIntyre, founding Executive Director of The Grannie Annie.

The Grannie Annie Family Story Celebration invites students in grades 4 through 8 to write about something interesting they discover from their family's history based on their interviews with older relatives and to submit their stories to The Grannie Annie for possible publication. Over the past 11 years, The Grannie Annie has published stories that have taken place on six continents over a span of nearly 400 years.