On Wednesday, November 8, NASH students representing the National Honor Society traveled to Marshall Middle School to emphasize the importance of writing in their lives and education. While NASH had been in contact with Marshall’s principal Mr. Dan Swoger regarding potential tutoring opportunities, the idea for such a presentation was relatively new.

Julia Patzak, an NHS Technical Chair, started the project after one of Marshall’s English teachers proposed the presentation. “I had been emailing back and forth with the principal about starting a tutoring program at MMS for NHS members” Patzak said. “Mrs. Castner must have heard about this and emailed me to ask if I would be willing to create a presentation for the kids on the importance of writing and to come in and talk to them.” 

Upon arriving at MMS, the NASH students were divided into groups of three and assigned to a particular 6th, 7th, or 8th-grade classroom. It was then the responsibility of the high schoolers to present their topic and open up the floor to any questions.

While some may have regarded a presentation to those as young as 6th grade as superfluous, the objective of NHS was to inspire younger classes to engage themselves in their writing with an attitude of enthusiasm.

Margo Weller, one of the volunteers, found the experience especially fulfilling. “I believe that writing is the most important skill we learn at school,” the senior said, “and we wanted to communicate that importance to up and coming high schoolers.”

As it stands, the attitude held by Ms. Weller is now prevalent among students at NASH. Nearly every high school senior has recognized the importance of writing during the college application process, and many have realized that writing will continue to be a part of their higher education.

For the volunteers who traveled to MMS, the ability to relate their own experience and give any advice regarding English and writing to North Allegheny’s future classes was gratifying. Students with backgrounds from AP, Honors, and Academic at NASH provided a thorough overview of the use of writing throughout various curricula.

The initial portion of the presentation was spent describing the various English tracks that North Allegheny’s high schools have to offer. Volunteers described the number of essays and books designated in each course, as well as each course’s intensity, between 9th and 12th grade. A large portion of the presentation also focused on the differences between middle school and high school writing.

High schoolers also discussed the various types of essays they have become familiar with. Techniques to achieve proper introductions, conclusions, and paragraph lengths were discussed in detail. Yet one of the most important pieces of information communicated was the freedom and creativity found in high school writing.

Unlike the ever-present five-paragraph essay required by the standardized testing system for elementary and middle schools, high school writing is much influenced by style. Volunteers discussed the variety of ways they incorporate their own style into timed essays and research essays. Other ways to become a better writer, such as engaging oneself with challenging literature, a more advanced vocabulary, and thorough proofreading, were also explored.

The final portion of the presentation revolved around questions from the students. Most middle schoolers inquired about the difficulty of high school, the other types of classes available to students, and the college application process. Questions surrounding TDAs (text-dependent analyses), a new assignment designed to improve the analytical reading ability of middle schoolers that will be introduced this coming February, were also explored.

“I was very impressed by the student’s levels of respect and maturity,” Mo Khatami said. “The amount we had in common was more than I thought we would have.”  

Volunteers were keen to point out that writing is a skill necessary for the rest of one’s life, regardless of profession. Even careers where writing is deemed less important, such as those found in the fields of science and technology, require the ability to communicate that goes hand-in-hand with writing.

If your middle school desires a similar presentation to the one conducted by NASH students at MMS, please get in touch with NASH’s National Honor Society to make arrangements.