The middle school/high school hallways are often filled with student artwork, and recently those same walls highlighted a different form of art – the written word. The English Department used the National Day on Writing as an opportunity to celebrate writing by students and staff members. The high school English corridor and a hallway in the middle school are covered with creative writing samples and responses to the prompt, “Why I Write.”
The National Day of Writing is an initiative of the National Council of Teachers of English and, according to the organization’s website, is built on the premise that writing is critical to literacy, but in need of greater attention and celebration. They say that writing is thought of in terms of pencil-and-paper assignments, but that writing is present in all parts of life.
“It’s part of how you work, how you learn, how you remember and how you communicate. It gives voice to who you are and enables you to give voice to the things that matter to you,” according to the organization.
Students were given the opportunity in their English classes and in the library to share and celebrate “Why I Write” by developing a response and including it on a “Twitter” template crafted by middle school English teacher Emily Storck. If they preferred, personal writing samples could be shared rather than the response to the prompt. Students shared the digital or hard copy with their teachers, and all of the writing was posted in celebration.
English curriculum coordinator Lisa Czerniecki said the initiative was a success. “I am impressed by the responses students gave, and I am inspired by their creativity. It has been great to share and to continue to build a community of writers.”