Zainab Salah, one of the volunteer teachers, remembers helping a student last year. The student was behind in school and met three times with the Writing Center, Salah said. Together they brainstormed and put together a first and final draft. In the end the student improved his/her writing skills and grade.

“It’s awesome to see the lightbulb go off,” Sarah Pouls, one of the teacher who volunteers for the Writing Center said. “It’s a good feeling to see a student improve.”

The Writing Center has three volunteer teachers, Salah, Pouls and Chris Schroeder. Salah and Pouls are available at SC, while Schoeder helps NC students.

The center started second semester last year and was offered only at SC. However, this year it will also be provided to students at NC, with Schroeder being the NC volunteer teacher.

“I believe we should further extend the Writing Center to NC because they are the students who have the most pressure to succeed, college scholarships and essays to write and because they are working on the most complex tasks of anyone at LT,” Schroeder said.

The Writing Center is a place where students can receive help in any type of writing, brainstorming, thesis, I.C.E. or drafting, Salah said.

Also the Writing Center is not only just for English assignments but also for assignments from other subjects, Pouls said.

“I believe the Writing Center is good for any student at LTHS in any class who wants assistance with their writing,” Toby Casella, assistant division chair for the Language Arts Department said. “Having an opportunity to revise and reflect on a piece of writing with a teacher is advantageous to any student before turning in a final draft.”

The Writing Center was created by Salah, in her first year as a teacher at LT.

“I decided to create this program because I saw that a lot of my own students needed help but it was hard to meet with all of them and I imagined the other teachers felt the same way,” Salah said.

The Writing Center opened second semester last year. The center helped about 60 students last year, Salah said. With this being the first full year of the program all the Writing Center teachers hope to see the program expand.

“I know that if the word got out about the Writing Center being a quick stop to improve grades and writing skills, then I am sure both teachers and students would flock to the center for additional help or to give it,” Schroeder said.

The Writing Center was created to help students that could not meet with their teachers to revise their papers and is a relatively new idea to LT.

“There have been tutoring programs before and after school but nothing so targeted as the Writing Center,” Casella said. “The Writing Center will help the [Language Arts Department] staff forward students to professional assistance if the students’ availability does not meet the classroom teacher’s office hours.  The Writing Center will help support the [Language Arts Department]’s philosophy of helping students improve their writing and revising pieces to demonstrate mastery of the writing skills they are learning.”