OxfordPress.com

Monroe Local Schools is trying to develop solid junior high student writers.

To do so, the district launched a Power of the Pen team last year. The national program is an interscholastic competition for young writers.

Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli recently informed the district's Board of Education of her plans to ask it to approve an "inexpensive" academic supplemental contract to hire Andrew Manning, a language arts teacher at the junior high school, to serve as a writing coach for the Power of the Pen team at Monroe Junior High.

Lolli said she plans to present the contract for approval during the board's next meeting. The contract range is from $672 to $1,513, she said.

"It's a minimum type supplemental contract, but well worth it for the kids," Lolli said.

Manning has been volunteering for free as the adviser/writing coach for the Power of the Pen team since the program was launched in the district for seventh and eighth graders last year, she said. About 20-25 students meet for an hour every Tuesday after school to work on their writing skills, Lolli said.

"The true intent really is to enhance the creative and critical skills of the kids through the writing process," she said.

"The sponsor actually reads them and judges them, and they go to four state competitions per year."

Manning said he particularly enjoys the camaraderie the program brings to his students as they write, share and learn from each other.

"Power of the Pen gives my students a sense of empowerment in writing. I also like watching my students improve in their self-confidence and their writing skills," he said.

Manning said the tools that the students receive from the program are:

• A structure for disciplined writing under time constraints;

• The opportunity for student work to be published and read by a state-wide audience;

• A system for practicing impromptu and creative writing, and

• The formation of an academic writing team that compete in statewide interscholastic writing tournaments.

For more information about Power of the Pen go online to www.powerofthepen.org.