. Advanced Composition (Adv Comp) is a quirky, fun English elective that welcomed its founding class this year.
. One morning, I wasn’t expecting anything unusual from the school day. However, upon walking into my first period (Adv Comp) class, securing my phone in the pouches, and taking my seat alongside my committee, I was informed of spectacular news. The mouse that had infested and tormented Mrs. Warren’s cozy classroom had at last been caught, lured out by a granola bar placed in a humane trap.
. Once class commenced, Mrs. Warren proudly broke the news to her students. The only measure to decide now was who would have the pleasure of releasing the little, feral creature into the wilderness (a.k.a the patch of trees behind trailers 1-8). After several minutes of arguing between students, two emerged victorious and were delegated this honor.
. Outside, the damp grass muddied our shoes, but we all gathered around and carefully watched the scene unfolding. After several minutes of coaxing the mouse from the trap, it excitedly hopped off into the woods. Mission success!
. On many occasions during Advanced Composition, we will start the day off by playing the Connections or the Wordle as a class before commencing our hour of careful preparation for getting The Westfield Writing Center (WWC) up and running. The WWC is operated through Adv Comp. Nikki Warren, English teacher, was adamant about starting the WWC as a way “student tutors can work with their peers to improve their writing.”
. The WWC held its first official event, a college essay workshop, on October 2nd in the library. 30 student tutors and guides worked meticulously to ensure that workshop attendees received personalized advice and feedback on their essays. A presentation on the essay basics was conducted, and one-on-one tutoring for any stage of the writing process was available.
. Cam Conner, 12, explains that getting “to help with the Writing Center and get some leadership experience,” drew her to join Advanced Composition.
. Ameerah Byfield, 12, wanted to “help build a legacy in the WWC.”
. The WWC is organized in committees: logistics/management, multilingual learning (MLL), marketing, and curriculum. Each committee plays an important role in the operation of the WWC.
. “I am part of the logistics committee, and work on setting up events, creating calendars/forms, and other planning tasks,” explained Sanjay Vempati, 11.
. “I’m in the MLL committee, this committee is meant to help tutor students who may not be fluent in English and need help in their English class,” said Rebecca Reed, 11.
. “Within my committee, which is the marketing committee, we split into two groups. One group handles the physical side of advertisements, while the other group handles the social media side of advertisement. Our main goal is to spread the message that the WWC wants to project,” said Jaileen Romero-Marquina, 12.
. “I am in the curriculum committee, so we do a lot of lessons and workshop building. During this time, we will brainstorm ways to help teachers encourage their students to be better writers,” said Ameerah Byfield, 12.
. The WWC is currently preparing to open its door during third period, so students can receive tutoring in any areas of writing from science and research papers, history and English essays, etc.
. “I’m hopeful that we have good enough momentum — not to mention an outstanding group of student leaders! — to get the brand new Westfield Writing Center off the ground and set up for many years of future service to the bulldog community,” commented Mrs. Warren.
. Insta: @WritingCenter_WHS
. Tiktok: @westfieldwritingcenter
