Tension, suspense, talking toasters! For nearly a dozen of our middle and high schoolers, a week spent together writing, revising and then writing some more was a summertime dream come true.
Now in its 19th year, the annual Cole Summer Writers Institute offers students a chance to dig into a variety of writing styles, believe in themselves as writers, workshop their creativity and let that creativity grow and shine.
“With so many distractions and things going on, I don’t get to spend much time writing when I am at home,” said sixth-grader Lucy R. “It has been great to have the time to just write and to get the feedback from the group about what I am writing, too.”
In addition to fun exercises, group discussions about writing techniques and an end-of-week celebration of their work, students get to learn from published writers. This year, Saadia Faruqi, the Pakistani American author of the popular children’s early-reader series “Yasmin” and other books, joined the group to talk about what it takes to be a strong and creative writer. Faruqi also offered a listening ear and feedback for students who chose to share their writing.
“It was really helpful to have a published author give us advice and feedback about our work,” said sixth grader Leonardo D., echoing the sentiment of the group.
Along with building their writing “muscles” and skills, Cole offers students the chance to get to know one another and develop a sense of community around this shared interest.
“We eat, drink, sleep and breathe writing for the entire week,” explained Lily N-S., who attended Cole for a third year this summer. “It is great to have a group of people to share writing with. Even though some of us didn’t know each other before this week, it’s good to feel that we are in this together.”
Since 2005, the Cole Writers Institute, led by Brian Stumbaugh, VCSD chairperson for English and World Languages, has been offering Voorheesville middle- and high school students a summertime “deep dive” into all-things writing. Partnering with the Voorheesville Public Library, the Voorheesville PTA, the Voorheesville Community School Foundation, Clayton A. Bouton High School and the Karen J. Cole Educational Trust, the mission of the Cole Summer Writers Institute is to introduce student writers to the best national and local published writers and writing exercises available. Learn more about the Cole Summer Writers Institute.