17 WMS students attend 2015 Youth Writing Festival at Elkhorn South
Annual event sponsored by the Nebraska Writing Project
Launch the media gallery 1 playerSeventeen students from Wahoo Middle School attended the 2015 Youth Writing Festival at Elkhorn South High School on March 21.
They set out looking for something to do on a Saturday, but they got much more! Upon arriving in Elkhorn, they met the groups from other schools. Then, they were split in two groups, the first group staying upstairs and the second going downstairs.
The first group was allowed to wander around the school to free write, drawing inspiration from their surroundings. After about an hour, they all met up in the library to share their piece (or pieces). Meanwhile, the second group learned about writing genres, and, after drawing two Apples to Apples cards for their topics, they wrote stories. Afterward, the two groups switched, and the first group went downstairs, where they each wrote a “This I Believe” paragraph about something they believe in and why.
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Launch the media gallery 3 playerFollowing this, they wrote reversal poems, which are poems that have a completely different meaning depending on if you read it top to bottom or bottom to top. During this time, the second group had been finishing their card stories, or writing new ones.
The Festival ended after that, and the Wahoo students went home on the bus, where they ate their lunches. Altogether, the Writing Festival was a great experience to have, and those who attended this year encourage other middle schoolers to go next time.
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The annual Youth Writing Festival is hosted by the Nebraska Writing Project. Please click HERE for more information, as well as a link to writings from students who attended the event.
"The students who attended the Writing Festival had a great time, and many commented that they cannot wait to go back next year!" commented Wahoo Middle School Language Arts Instructor Kjirsten Abkes. "I was proud to see such a big group from Wahoo Middle School and thrilled to read some of their stellar writing."