Every person has a story to tell, and in Oakwood, elementary students are getting the chance to share theirs.

At Oakwood Elementary School, students are undertaking a yearlong project, dubbed “photostorying,” where they capture meaningful images from their personal life and compile them into a personal “story” using computer programs.

But, school officials said, the idea is not just for recreation — it doubles as a valuable educational tool.

“Student engagement is just so huge,” said Mary Welch, third-grade teacher. “You want to be able to reach all your learners and technology just seems to be that ‘wow factor’ that really captivates their interest. And then you have the added asset of them bringing in their own lives, which brings in that relevancy. The work that I get just amazes me.”

Students are charged with taking pictures that represent who they are and what they love, including family, friends, sports, animals (both real and stuffed) and even pop culture figures.

Those pictures are then taken into a computer program where the students generate a “story,” complete with text and various adornments.

“If you just tell someone, they can’t visualize it,” said Jesus Cruz, a fifth-grader at Oakwood. “(With this) you can show the reader what is happening.”

And teachers and administrators said it gives students the tools to reach, and sometimes exceed, performance standards while keeping those children engaged and excited.

“It’s flipping the school, so we’re not just putting into kids,” said Shane Rayburn, principal. “Kids come with a lot of knowledge — they know a lot about the world ... and so, I guess from our standpoint, is how do we tap into that instead of spinning our wheels, knocking our heads against the wall thinking: ‘How do we get kids interested?’ It ought to be the other way around.”

The project started this semester and will run throughout the year, but in the spring a group of teachers actually piloted the program.

Under the direction of Mark Vagle, an associate professor from the University of Minnesota, the teachers put together their own “story,” putting themselves in the position the students would eventually occupy.

“I think on the teacher end, it’s kind of frustrating to teach the writing standards to the kids when they say to you: ‘I don’t know what to write about. I don’t have anything to write about,’” said Welch. “So, my gut instinct is: ‘There’s tons of things to write about,’ but it’s not as meaningful for the kids.

“So, what I discovered through pictures is, when they bring them in, they’re able to easily tell all kinds of stories from them.”

And, Vagle said, it’s not just about getting the kids to connect with something they can relate to. It’s also about getting other students to ask questions about those connections.

“A lot of times we talk about trying to actively find ways — this being one — to create more connections, and sometimes when we create disconnections we ask deeper questions about stuff,” said Vagle.

And it seems as if the students are responding.

“You get to show what you like and you don’t have to be afraid if nobody else likes it because it’s yours,” said Emma Anzaldi, a third-grader.

Rayburn said there’s evidence to support the fact that once students are engaged and invested in their work, they tend to perform and learn more efficiently.

“I think the hopeful potential is that, given Common Core as a set of performance standards, we’re asking kids to act on content in ways that we’ve never asked them to before,” he said. “I think we’re just totally in a position that we haven’t been in the past ... we’ve asked before what they’re interested in, but that’s really different than saying: ‘Bring your life into the classroom.’ This is a safe place and we’ve created a level of trust. That’s not easy work.”