Chuck Yarborough stands in front of a crowd in a candle-lit cemetery, preparing them to embark on a tour of performances by his students, known as Tales from the Crypt, which is a student-led research project turned into scripts, some of which are selected to be performed in Friendship Cemetery.
Carl Butler, a former MSMS teacher, started Tales from the Crypt. Yarborough has played a key role in it since he joined MSMS in 1995, winning many awards along the way.
“I’ve always tried to figure out projects that challenge students to grow as presenters, as leaders and as community contributors,” Yarborough said.
Through three decades, his work was recognized by the Mississippi Historical Society and the Mississippi Heritage Trust. Additionally, Tales was recognized as a National Finalist for the History Channel’s Save Our History classroom award.
Thomas Richardson, an MSMS English teacher and alumnus who took Tales as a student, said Yarborough’s influence on this school is how he gets people to think about history.
“Mr. Yarborough’s impact is how he reminds people that the work of history is not private,” Richardson said. “It’s connected to the stories of the people that live here, of the buildings in the town and, obviously, the cemeteries.”
Yarborough also started similar programs, such as the Eighth of May Emancipation Day Celebration. Eighth of May is a similar research project that uses performances to focus on African Americans. He also started MoreStory Monuments, a research project dedicated to adding more historical markers in Columbus.
MSMS senior Althea Wells, a performer for Tales and participant for both the Eighth of May Emancipation Day Celebration and MoreStory Monuments, said Yarborough is dedicated to getting his students to understand the importance of what they are doing.
“Yarborough takes a lot of care and makes sure that you’re understanding what you’re saying and what you’re doing and the impact you are having,” Wells said.
Yarborough said his favorite moment he’s gotten to experience is seeing students recognize the importance of the work they do.
“It’s this moment when students recognize that this schoolwork they put in means something to the community,” he said.
Richardson described how the work he was asked to do in Tales prepared him for his college experience, saying the project was the “first time anybody asked me to be an independent scholar.”
“That was really important for me in undergrad and even more in graduate school,” he said.
While the projects are greatly appreciated, Yarborough said he wished more knew how much it changed the students.
“I wish more people appreciated how transformative projects like these are for students. And not every student is transformed in the same ways,” Yarborough said. “To the outside world, Tales from the Crypt is kind of just a drama project that they enjoy going to.”
Wells also said she wants the behind-the-scenes hours of preparation it takes to put on the projects to be more widespread knowledge.
“I wish more people understood how much work goes into the project,” Wells said.
Not only do Yarborough’s projects help others grow, but it helps him as well.
“I’ve learned to trust the process,” Yarborough said. “I try to ensure that students have opportunities to grow, even if it takes more time, even if it’s a little bit more messy … I have to trust that it is going to work out well.”
In the end, Yarborough said the importance is not his contributions but the students.
“To me, the big story of MSMS is the students,” Yarborough said. “Every one of us is here to help [students] get to the next place [they’re] supposed to be.”
