StC News

New Writing Center helps students with composition skills

Students can make appointments with teachers Horner and Thomas to assist with writing
What is the Writing Center’s Mission?
Quite simply, to help students improve their writing.

To meet this end, the Writing Center hopes to provide a comfortable and welcoming environment in which the boys in the Upper School can receive support in enhancing their thinking and writing. Students may get help with any aspect of their writing, from how to embrace a specific writing assignment for a class to how to improve their general writing skills.

The Writing Center will work in conjunction with classroom teachers, the Academic Resource Department, and the College Counseling Office to help boys with everything from classroom writing assignments to research papers to college essays.

Leadership opportunities will also be provided and enhanced with the training of student Writing Guides who will be trained to help other students who visit the Writing Center with their writing.
 

In what ways can the Writing Center help students with their writing?
The Writing Center can help students with any part of the writing process: brainstorming ideas, developing a thesis, structuring an argument, thinking about stylistic options, or revising a draft.

The Writing Center serves the students in two particular ways: 1) To help students as needed with a specific writing assignment and/or 2) To work with individual students on a more formal basis over a longer period of time upon recommendation by a teacher, faculty advisor, or parent.

It is important to know that the Writing Center is not an editing or proofreading service, nor is it a replacement for the relationships that students must develop in their respective courses with their classroom teachers. The ultimate goal of each writing conference is to help students work to become astute readers and critics of their own work and to develop strategies for improving their own writing.
 

Who helps the students at the Writing Center?
The Center is staffed not only by several Upper School English and History faculty, but also by trained students (writing guides) who act as an audience for the students’ writing.

Writing Center faculty or the trained student writing guides do not evaluate, correct, proofread, or edit student assignments; again, the main objective of the Writing Center is to help students become confident critical readers of their own writing.
 

Where is the Writing Center?
The old Faculty Study in LLC located in between the two conference rooms on the second floor. Across from the College Guidance Office.

Though the Writing Center does have a specific location on campus, writing conferences can and may be held at any place around campus or at any time during the day in which students have free time.

Some writing conferences may occur at night or during the weekend virtually via Skype or Google Hangouts depending on what has been set up between the Writing Center faculty and the respective student.

More information is available on the Writing Center's website. 
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