Write here.  Write now.

The newly-created Writing Center is a place where students can improve their writing by collaborating with trained peer tutors. Students who go to the Writing Center for help can bring essays, resumes, college applications and any assignments from any of their classes for peer editing.

“[Students] can get help on any classes,” said sophomore student tutor Lizzie Cecchett. “There are good writers here.” 

The Writing Center is available to students on Orange Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays during all lunches and Wednesdays after school from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. in Room 242A.  In order to visit the Writing Center, a student has to participate in a simple four-step process. 

The student must first make an appointment by either signing up on the board outside of room 242A or by getting a pass during a non-instructional period to go to Writing Center instructor and English teacher Jenny Goransson’s classroom. 

Secondly, the student must fill out a student cover sheet and then he or she must bring in the assignment sheet and grading rubric. The fourth and final thing the student must do is to make sure to arrive on time to the appointment and be ready to receive help from a student tutor.

“It’s really nice to hear feedback from fellow students, and not just teachers,” said Goransson.

The Writing Center does not only benefit students going in for help. The student tutors, who are required to attend four after-school sessions per quarter, receive additional service hours for any sessions they tutor in addition to those four after-school sessions. These hours can be used for any honor society and without a doubt look extremely good on a college application. The experience also has sentimental value as well simply because the tutors feel a sense of accomplishment for helping out other students.

“Students can come in at any time,” said Cecchett. “I like helping [them].” 

The Writing Center provides students with a constructive way to enhance their writing skills and having a fellow high school student as the tutor makes it easier for the student to relate to each other and understand where the tutor is coming from.  While teacher editing is helpful, it is sometimes critical and leaves the student not understanding what he or she did wrong.

“In general, talking with someone is very helpful,” said Goransson, “[students] leave feeling like the paper is still theirs.”