Stepping back in time

By Trisha Marczak (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Thursday, October 9, 2008

Rolf Stang stood in front of a class at Cleveland Elementary Wednesday looking like he stepped out of a time machine.

His attire, he explained to the class, dates back to1870, when the writer Hans Christian Andersen was 65-years-old.

Stang, who hangs his top hat in New York City, made his way to Fergus Falls to share the tales of Andersen, whose messages Stang believes continue to ring true in today’s society.

Before diving into the story of The Ugly Duckling, Stang let the class in on a simple but powerful message.

“You can’t give up,” Stang told Lynette Ringquist’s class of third grade students. “You can choose what to wear in the morning or what sandwich to make, but you can’t choose to ever give up.”

As Stang read through the story, he was sure to translate the message into the lives of the young students.

“Don’t ever let yourselves be teased,” he said.

His message was both helpful and timely, as this week is being celebrated throughout the country as the third annual Bully Prevention Awareness Week.

Stang, who has spoken to 50,000 students, began his storytelling adventures 15 years ago.

“I’ve been unable to stop,” he said.

On top of traveling to tell the tales of Andersen, Stang spends his time in New York City writing, translating and singing.

“When you live in New York City, you don’t have to do just one thing,” he told the class.