Featured Story
Student Writers Storm the Hilltop this Summer
From History teacher Hunter Martin:
This past summer, nearly 90 St. Luke's students attended weeklong writing workshops on campus. In June, members of the Class of 2018 joined a faculty team comprised of Bubba Henson (English) and Hunter Martin (History), along with college counselors Sonia Bell and Stephen Vehslage, and alumnus Alex Robertson ‘14 (studying at Columbia University) to tackle their college essays. Now in its second year, The Writing Workshop combines instruction on how to craft persuasive Common Application and supplemental essays with time for students to write and conference with instructors. A number of the rising seniors in attendance were able to complete one or more essays during the week, setting up a summer and fall with one significant task checked off their college to-do list.
Reflecting on the week, one student noted that, “the plentiful one-on-one time with teachers was an invaluable resource that helped transform my initial ideas into a powerful essay,” while another expressed satisfaction in knowing that, “in five days I was able to conquer one of the biggest hurdles in the [college] application process long before senior year had even started.”
In August, more 60 students participated in a workshop for rising freshmen and sophomores focused on the fundamentals of written English and analytical writing. Across five days, and with guidance from faculty members Abby Abbot (History), Ross James (English), Hunter Martin (History), and teaching fellow Marina Perkins (History), these students were introduced to the most common difficulties beginning and intermediate writers encounter in their English and History classes, ranging from how to identify and correct run-on sentences to how to create fluid connections between their ideas and the evidence offered in support. Despite grueling athletics preseason practices, these students threw themselves headlong into the experience and in the process helped lay the foundation for a productive and rewarding school year to come.
“I feel like I am more prepared and confident than I would have been,” a student shared at week’s end. Others echoed the sentiment, with one commenting that the week, “helped prepare me for sophomore year as I advance into more difficult classes.” Whatever the topic under discussion, from punctuation to persuasion, another student noted emphatically: “The difference that you see is incredible.”
Information about the Summer 2018 workshops will be distributed next spring. Please contact Hunter Martin with questions about these programs.
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 40 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Leading with Humanity curriculum builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
