New Student Writing Center Opens At School

New Student Writing Center Opens At School
New Student

POCOMOKE – The urge to put into words the poem that had been floating around in his mind for years hit Henry Maxson at 6 p.m. one evening.

Relieved to finally have the words down on paper, Maxson emerged from his room at 7 p.m. He looked at his wife questioningly when she said, “Welcome back.” He asked what she meant, pointing out that he had only started writing at 6 p.m.

“Six o’clock yesterday,” she replied.

Both Maxson and his audience of student writers at Pocomoke High School laughed at the fact that he had spent 25 hours writing and hadn’t even realized it.

“Occasionally you get lost in your writing,” he said.

Maxson was one of three authors who shared their writing experiences with Pocomoke High School students Dec. 12 to celebrate the opening of the school’s new writing center. Joan la Blanc, a romance novelist, and David Poyer, a best-selling author of military novels, were the other two guests.

Students were excited to hear from published authors as they marked the opening of the writing center, a place administrators hope will foster an interest in written expression among Pocomoke’s teenagers.

“When schools offer you things like this, you should take advantage of it,” junior Li Curtis Whitney said.

Pocomoke High Principal Annette Wallace said the idea of a writing center came about as school officials were trying to come up with an area where students could use their mobile devices productively. Thinking of something like a college coffee shop, she and other school leaders developed the concept of a writing center, complete with lounge-style seating and WiFi access. An empty classroom near the school’s media center made it possible.

“We want this to be an open space where they can express themselves,” Wallace said.

The bright blue walls, comfortable chairs and motivational posters are designed to foster creativity.

“Keep calm it’s only the first draft,” one poster reminds students.

A chalkboard and a whiteboard provide writers with areas for brainstorming.

“The kids love it,” Wallace said. “No other classroom looks like this. We really transformed it.”

When the center is open, members of the school’s English department are on hand to offer guidance, she said.

“We don’t want it to be a free-for-all,” Wallace said. “It’s a setting where they can get help if they want it.”

Pocomoke High students in attendance to celebrate the opening of the space included would-be writers as well as students just happy to have a quiet, relaxed atmosphere in which to do their school work.

“It’s something everyone can use,” Whitney said.

Whitney, along with senior Maya Batson, was honored for the poem he entered in the school’s recent writing contest. He offered a piece of advice to his fellow student authors.

“Don’t be afraid to express yourself,” he said.

For now, the writing center at Pocomoke High School will be open to students after school. Wallace hopes to expand the hours in the spring.