Last Academy Prep Visit

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with Academy Prep today as I always have in years past. The middle schoolers are always so eager to learn and love hearing what the tutors have to say. I have loved making personal connections with the students and getting to know them over the years of tutorials. It always hard to say goodbye in the end, but knowing I made a difference by helping them with their writing means so much to me.
This week has been full of exciting tutorials, bursting with conversation and helpful words from the tutors. Thank you to all the tutors who gave up class time and lunch to participate in this wonderful event!
-Emily

Kelsey Serraneau Presentation

Kelsey Serraneau presents during the poster session at this weekend's IWCA/NCPTW conference! 

The students in the pink shirts are our friends from Edison High.

Words From Sabrina Saeed

Presenting was an incredible experience. Perhaps the most meaningful aspect of presenting was the support we received from the schools we have Skyped with. The support we received from Edison and Minnetonka especially, I think, was really indicative of how strong the relationships we are forming with these schools are, and shows that what we do is truly meaningful. It was also amazing to see how much support we received in general. I was very pleasantly surprised to see how many people were interested in what we had to say and were truly engaged in the topic (especially considering that our session was so early in the morning). Not only did our presentation spark questions from the audience, but it also sparked conversation among the audience as well. And I think that really shows that our work has broader implications. Five years ago when my sister was a part of the Self-Study group, Berkeley was one of two high schools (or the only high school) represented at the conference. This year, there were four high school writing centers represented in our presentation room alone. I really feel like the increased representation of high school writing centers has a lot to do with us reaching out and engaging them. I truly feel like the network we are building will help change writing centers around the country.

Fun Facts Since August 2013

Since the BPS Writing Center began collecting tutorial data electronically  we have amassed a few interesting facts from this data such as...

...Tutorials by Genre

...and tutorials by Grade Level

203 Tutorials

Congratulations Writing Center for Reaching 200 Tutorials for the School Year

 

Edison Skype Session

I really liked the Skype session because we got to see how other students our age run a writing center. I really liked it because they gave us some really good ideas even though they've only had their writing center for 5 years. They were really passionate about their writing center, and I think that is why they had more students going to them for help. For example, I really liked the idea of having a Youtube and Soundcloud account because these are the apps that students use on a daily basis, and it would therefore be easier to reach them that way by entertaining them with funny videos and such. I also liked how they tutored on speeches and public speaking. I myself am not that strong of a public speaker, and even though there is a Rhetoric class at Berkeley, I still think that it would be something for the writing center to consider. Also, I really like how they were experts on their writing center. I think that the Berkeley tutors should be more informed on the writing center because they may have forgotten some stuff from the test (for example I didn't know the answers to some of their questions). Overall, I really liked Skyping them and I hope that we will be able to see them or even establish a connection with them in the near future.

 

Edison Skype Session

The Skype session went so well today! We shared many different ideas that were beneficial to both schools!

I feel that today's Skype session with Edison High School is a perfect example of how the Berkeley Writing Center can reach out to become a part of the broad network of writing centers across the country and to learn how it can expand its projects. As was mentioned in the session, the Berkeley Writing Center has been around longer than most other centers and yet--as more high school centers begin to pop up--we have so many potential projects that we could pursue that we haven't yet. Some examples of this (from the session and Edison's blog) are the presentation classes, the "Rent A Tutor" program, and a broader social media presence and various events (like the "Lunch Launch") to further increase popularity. By connecting to other centers, both through Skype and through the conference, the writing center could possible expand its focus so that it is not only an excellent resource for students to come to for help, but also a stronger on-campus entity to assist students with writing and communication. 

 

The Berkeley Writing Center will be having a Skype conference with the Edison Writing Center on October 17th at 10:30 during B block! The EWC is from Edison High School, all the way in Virginia! The EWC Blog covers everything from Edison High’s SAT workshops to presentations at the NCPTW; these tutors are clearly kept busy! Go check our their awesome blog: http://edisonwritingcenter.blogspot.com.

Self-Study Presentation

It's a busy time of year! The Writing Center is gearing up to attend the NCPTW in Orlando on October 31. The Self-Study Group, led by Sabrina Saeed will be presenting on research they have done on other writing centers through Skype sessions. According to Sabrina "being able to reach out to other writing centers across the world has been an invaluable experience. Not only have we been able to learn from other writing centers but we have also brought our perspective to other writing centers." Without a doubt, learning from others is the best way to improve. Stay tuned for more information as the conference draws near!

Eat, Speak, and Surf!

Aloha, Bucs! Get ready to hang 10 and soak up the sun at the first Eat n' Speak of the year on October 3rd! The theme is "Luau", so get ready to go coco-nuts! Sign up sheet is on the door of the Writing Center. Cowabunga!

Lost Art?

Writing Center tutors were devastated today when they came across a piece of artwork without a home. Rachelle Charlie described the piece as containing lifelike qualities. If you know anything about the owner of this work of art, any news would be appreciated. 

Calling all seniors! Remember that the writing center is more than happy to tutor college essays and give advice on standardized test writing. If you are having trouble coming up with a subject for your essay feel free to stop in and we will help you brainstorm ideas. Hope to see you soon!

On Tuesday, several of our writing center tutors spent a delightful hour visiting with Mrs. Betty Djokoto, headmistress of Wesley Girls High School--a boarding school in Cape Coast, Ghana.  She is visiting Berkeley as the guest of Mr. Johnson in order to establish an exchange between our schools.  Mrs. Djokoto is also interested in starting a writing center at her school, and we hope to be of help to her.  

Welcome Back to the Writing Center!

It’s that time of year!  Once again, Berkeley is bustling with activity across all three divisions.  The start of the school year brings new classes, new teachers, new lockers, new teams, and new friends.

However, with all the excitement of the new year comes homework, papers, and projects.  When you feel overwhelmed with a writing assignment or need an extra set of eyes to read over your work, the Writing Center is here to help!  Stop on by during any class period and our tutors will be happy to assist you.

This year, the Writing Center has a lot more planned than just writing tutorials.  Plans are already underway for several contests with fun prizes and, of course, Eat ‘N’ Speak!  Exciting things are happening with the Writing Center this school year, and you won’t want to miss them!

Thinking Ahead...

http://iwcancptw2014.com/call-for-proposals/

 

This year’s International Writing Centers Association/ National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing Joint Conference will place in Orlando! It will be at the magical location of Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort from October 30- November 1, 2013.

Since Orlando is not too far away, we’re hoping that we can increase Berkeley’s attendance from just the self-study interns and directors. Now is a great time to start coming up with ideas for proposals.

 

Statistics Galore

Wow! We currently have 609 tutorials completed for the year! Thanks to all of our tutors for their help, and for tutees for coming in. The Writing Center wanted to update you on the specifics of these tutorials. As you can see, the skills most addressed are content/ideas and style/word choice, which are neck and neck! Our clientele is mainly juniors, so we would love to encourage the other grade levels to come in for help. Analytical papers are the most popular papers tutored, followed closely by creative. Great job so far, keep up the hard work!

First Grader Tutorials

 As Writing Center Tutors, we have the privilege of tutoring first grade buddies. Before meeting our buddies, they sent us a letter telling us about them. We then sent a letter back, sharing a little about ourselves. After merely sending letters and pictures to each other, we were so excited to meet our friends. One day at lunch, we finally got to meet our friends and tutor them. Some tutors even got to return to their own first grade classrooms and visit their old Lower Division teachers. All in all, our lunch together was very enjoyable and we can't wait for next year!

The gangs all here! 

Vikram Nandyala and a buddy

Grant Watson tutors a friend

Amanda Montgomery and Kelsey Serraneau
pose with a buddy

Davis Straske and Bryn Braswell enjoying
the sunshine with their first grade buddy

Tutors Maya Jacobsen and Kelley Sheets help a buddy

Tutors Kelly Kudryk, Caroline Harrison and
 Abby Scott help first grade friends

Literary Character Day Is a Hit!

The three little pigs, Cleopatra, Pooh Bear, Hermoine and Harry, Waldo, and many others descended into the halls of Berkeley Prep on February 27, 2014. That's right, Literary Character Day came to Berkeley. Students dressed up in an array of costumes to show their love of reading. Even teachers joined in on the fun. Literary Character Day was a wonderful day and we hope to see you dressed up next year!

Get excited! Literary Character Day is coming up this Thursday, February 27th! It gives people the opportunity to show their love of literature by dressing up as their favorite character. This event is a way the Writing Center brings the community together to celebrate writing. To encourage people to participate, the Writing center is offering incentives to dressing up or come to the "Parade of Characters": those in costume will recieve a pizza lunch, and those at the parade can help themselves to various baked goods. There will also be a judging for best costume in both single and ensemble catergories (Best Ensemble, Best Single Costume, Best Children's Story Character, and Best Representation of a Creature or Symbol), with gift cards from Barnes and Noble and Stabucks for winners. The "Parade of Characters" will begin in the library at 12:45, and faculty judges for this year are Mr. Lukacs, Ms. Reuden, and Ms. Harris-Marcus. Please dress up and come celebrate with us!

Its that time of year again! As the Berkeley first graders prepare for their upcoming Author’s Tea, the Writing Center tutors are enthusiastic about helping out.  On Thursday and Monday, tutors will write letters back to our first grade buddies, introducing ourselves and just saying hello. The actual tutorial session will take place on March 5. Last year, our tutors had an excellent experience in the first grade classrooms, getting to know the kids and helping them craft a personal story. As Elizabeth Pearce recalls, working with Wren Hoversten, the two developed a friendship and now always greet each other when they meet around campus. This goes to show the tutorials go beyond promoting strong writing, also serving as the basis for friendships between divisions. Although it will be hard to beat, the Writing Center is looking forward to making this year an even more positive experience than last!

It's That Time of Year Again...

Academy Prep visits! Last Tuesday, Mr. Righter led a group of Interns and Directors over to Ybor City to work with the Academy Prep students in the comfort of their own classrooms. The Berkeley tutors helped students come up with drafts of free verse poetry and persuasive essays. They would later bring those pieces over to our campus and polish them to perfection with the WC tutors.

The seniors started off the visits on Febuary 12th working on persuasive essays. I was paired up with a hilarious 7th grader named Adrian who's goal was to convince me why middle school students needed to have cell phones. I knew he would be a bit of work after he began the tutorial saying: "This is stupid." However, I broke past his sassy exterior when I convinced him that writing wasn't stupid and sometimes could be fun. He told me the story about when he got his first cell phone, and then proceeded to ask me everything about my life from what I got for Christmas to what class I had after lunch. Through all our conversation, I managed to help him organize his thoughts into an outline and complete an introduction- something he asked for extra help on. I had a great time with Adrian and it was sad to think that this is my last year working with these students.

The tutorials will continue on February 18th and 19th. Berkeley Juniors will be paired up with 6th graders and Sophomore tutors will be working with 5th grade students.