Flip the Page: Central Ohio's Teen Literary Journal

Writers ages 13–19: it's your chance to get published! Thurber House is now accepting submissions for the 2022 edition of Flip the Page: Central Ohio's Teen Literary Journal. Flip the Page is written, staffed, juried, and produced by Central Ohio teens and Thurber House. The journal features stories, poems, nonfiction, and artwork from writers and artists ages 13–19. Flip the Page provides teens with experience in submission, critique, editorial design, and publication. All accepted writers and artists receive a complimentary copy of the journal, which will be sold on Amazon.

Click to Submit! Submission Deadline: January 29, 2022

Writing Guidelines

• Must be a resident of Central Ohio (Franklin, Delaware, Union, Madison, Pickaway, Fairfield, or Licking counties)
• Open to teens ages 13 to 19 years old
• They are interested in short stories, poems, songs, essays, play excerpts, and especially humor pieces
  
• Maximum of 800 words per piece
• Limit of two entries per person
• Accepted formats are Word documents and shareable Google documents

Have a question? Check the Thurber House website or email megbrown@thurberhouse.org.

Five books are now shortlisted for each of the five categories for the 72nd Annual National Book Awards. Winners will be named on November 17th. Hanif Abdurraqib, a Beechcroft Alum, made the list in Nonfiction, and two other Ohio authors are on the list.

Fiction

• Anthony Doerr, “Cloud Cuckoo Land” (Ohio author)

• Lauren Groff, “Matrix”

• Laird Hunt, “Zorrie”

• Robert Jones Jr., “The Prophets”

• Jason Mott, “Hell of a Book”

Nonfiction

• Hanif Abdurraqib, “A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance” (Columbus author, Beechcroft Alum)

• Lucas Bessire, “Running Out: In Search of Water on the High Plains”

• Grace M. Cho, “Tastes Like War: A Memoir”

• Nicole Eustace, “Covered With Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America”

• Tiya Miles, “All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake” (Ohio author)

Poetry

• Desiree C. Bailey, “What Noise Against the Cane”

• Martín Espada, “Floaters”

• Douglas Kearney, “Sho”

• Hoa Nguyen, “A Thousand Times You Lose Your Treasure”

• Jackie Wang, “The Sunflower Cast a Spell to Save Us From the Void”

Translated Literature

• Elisa Shua Dusapin, “Winter in Sokcho”
  Translated from the French by Aneesa Abbas Higgins

• Ge Fei, “Peach Blossom Paradise”
  Translated from the Chinese by Canaan Morse

• Nona Fernández, “The Twilight Zone”
  Translated from the Spanish by Natasha Wimmer

• Benjamín Labatut, “When We Cease to Understand the World”
  Translated from the Spanish by Adrian Nathan West

• Samar Yazbek, “Planet of Clay”
  Translated from the Arabic by Leri Price

Young People’s Literature

• Shing Yin Khor, “The Legend of Auntie Po”

• Malinda Lo, “Last Night at the Telegraph Club”

• Kyle Lukoff, “Too Bright to See”

• Kekla Magoon, “Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People”

• Amber McBride, “Me (Moth)”

The Achieve3000 management team is excited to announce the kickoff of the annual Achieve3000 Secondary School Competition. The challenge begins with the announcement of some winners: schools with the highest LevelSet completion as of the end of October. CONGRATULATIONS to the October LevelSet winners and the honorable mention runner-ups listed below. The winners will be awarded the "CCS Achieve3000 Best in Class" trophy to showcase and celebrate in their schools for the month until the next winners are declared. Future competitions will reward the schools with the highest Lexile growth every month starting with data from the end of November. The competition flyer is here.

6th Grade Classes at Elementary Buildings Winner: Southwood 100%

Honorable Mentions: Siebert 100% (tied with Southwood, other metrics used to break the tie) and Fairwood 91.7%

Middle School Winner: CCPSB 97.2%

Honorable Mentions: Berwick 93.7% and Sherwood 88.8%

High School Winner: Africentric 94.5%

Honorable Mentions: Centennial 73.9% and West 73.1%

The Buckeye Children’s and Teen Book Award program is designed to encourage students in Ohio to read literature critically, to promote teacher and librarian involvement in young adult literature programs, and to commend authors of such literature. The Buckeyes are one of the only state reader's choice awards in which students get to nominate the titles as well as vote on the final winners. The only adults who may submit nominations or votes are teachers and librarians who are representing a group of students from their school or library. This allows the Buckeyes to be truly a student-chosen award in all aspects.

Nominating occurs year-round, on the Buckeye Awards website, and voting closes Nov. 10. The winners will be announced on December 1, so have your students go to www.bcbookaward.info to vote, nominate, choose novels to read, and see past winners!

Here is the message from the District regarding an assessment change for middle schools.

In response to several meetings with principals, teachers, and thorough review of our current resources, the District is:

(1) Transitioning students in grades 6 through 8 from MasteryConnect to i-Ready for Mid-Year Math and ELA Diagnostics. MasteryConnect will continue as a resource for short-cycle and end-of-unit assessments; and,

(2) The revised assessment calendar also eliminates End-of-Year i-Ready ELA and Math testing for grades 4 through 8, as well as eliminating End-of-Year i-Ready Math testing for grade 3.

• Mid-year change is hard. Principals with students in grades 6-8 will have a choice to opt out of administering iReady for Middle of the Year Assessment for the 2021-2022 school year.

Middle Grades Assessment Transition FAQ Sheet

NaNoWriMo's Young Writers Program helps students set word goals and get ideas to progress through writing a novel in the month of November. You have access to both the middle school and high school workbooks from the program at the ELA Strand Resources Quick Link on the English 6-12 Webpage. If you are looking for the adult version to help with your own novel, visit the main NaNoWriMo page.

Over the next two months, the building capacity section of this newsletter will focus on Supporting All Learners to Build Literacy, a three-session video presentation from Dr. Dianna Townsend, a professor of literacy studies at the University of Nevada/Reno and a principal member of the Education Research Scientific Review Panel with the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) in the U.S. Department of Education. The second session is new this week and focuses on the sentence level of academic language which falls under Language Comprehension in the Simple View of Reading for adolescent learners. Academic Language is specialized oral and written language of academic settings that facilitates communication and thinking about disciplinary content. Each session will remain in the spotlight for a few weeks since we know the hottest commodity in the district is time.

Academic Language Video Presentation (21:41) Session Two
DESCRIPTION: This presentation from the Ohio Literacy Academy will help you identify key features of academic sentences and paragraphs, identify different types of connective words, and plan actionable approaches for supporting secondary students’ knowledge and use of connectives.

--On the English 6-12 Webpage at the ELA Strand Resources for Reading, Writing, Language, & Speaking Quick Link in the Writing Strand section, you have the following resources concerning transitions, academic sentence stems, and connectives:

• They Say/I Say Academic Writing Templates
  
• Transitional Words and Phrases
• Connectives Chart

--Remember that you also have access to transition skills lessons in the StudySync Library (library tab, skills subtab, search for "transitions"), and work with organization within the CORE ELA Units. Many of the slide-in scaffolds in StudySync have sentence stems for discussion and writing.

Think about how you can allow for students’ meaningful practice with academic language in the classroom.

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If you missed the first session on morphology, it is available below.

Morphology Video Presentation (21:09) Session One

DESCRIPTION: This presentation from the Ohio Literacy Academy will help you identify the basic units of the English language, explore meaningful morphemes in the content areas, and plan meaningful opportunities for secondary students to practice using morphemes. This can help build capacity around increasing literacy achievement in Columbus City Schools.

--Remember that you have access to Greek/Latin/Roots/Affixes skills lessons in StudySync both in the library (library tab, skills subtab, search for "Roots") and in the Vocabulary PDF workbooks in your Course Folders. In addition, you can filter for your grade level and "Academic Vocabulary" once on the library tab, skills subtab in StudySync for additional word study lessons.

--On the English 6-12 Webpage at the ELA Strand Resources for Reading, Writing, Language, & Speaking Quick Link in the Language Strand section, you have the following resources concerning roots/affixes: Greek/Latin Vocabulary Guiding Doc and Vocabulary Roots Online Greek/Latin Practice, in addition to other vocabulary links. Here is a helpful list of morphemes that are common across content areas. Think about how you can allow for students’ meaningful practice with those morphemes and words in the classroom.

CCS SECONDARY ENGLISH 2021 OST REPORT WITH RECOMMENDATIONS

You will find the CCS SECONDARY ENGLISH 2021 OST REPORT WITH RECOMMENDATIONS linked here and at the "Standardized Testing" Quick Link on the ELA 6-12 Webpage. Pages 2-10 focus on Reading and Pages 11-14 focus on Writing. Read through to understand how research says we can make gains in both areas.

-Visit these Curriculum/Instructional Resources Quick Links on the ELA 6-12 Webpage for all Secondary English Curriculum.

• Curriculum/Instructional Resources 6-8
• Curriculum/Instructional Resources 9-12

At these links, you will find your COURSE FOLDERS that have everything you need for your courses including Curriculum Maps, Course Introduction Pages, Standard docs, digital novels, adopted resource trainings/tutorials, etc. To access many curricular and district, you must be logged into Google using your CCS credentials and not a personal account. Curricular documents are also linked on these Google docs:

• Middle School Curriculum
• High School Curriculum

-Here are the Resource Lists for Secondary English.

• CCS Adopted, Supplemental, and Intervention Resources List
• Course Resource Spreadsheet with Visuals

1. The Tier I Instructional Resources are StudySync (English 6-12) and the Bedford Texts/Launchpad (Honors and AP English).
2. The Tier II Intervention Resource is Achieve3000. The contact person for this resource is Sonja Dill.
3. The Supplemental Resource is TeachingBooks.

StudySync (Tier 1 Adopted Resource English 6-12)

• Access: You AND your students access StudySync via the Clever icon or http://clever.com/in/columbuscity. Click on the McGraw Hill icon. Then, launch the StudySync App.
• Students Reading & Writing Companions: For the English 6-12 courses, student consumables were sent to the buildings this summer. Be sure to locate these and distribute them to students in these courses. The six units for each grade at StudySync online are included in the consumables and can increase modality options for students.
• Change Course Names: Your classes are marked with X and Y. The X classes are for first semester and the Y classes are for second semester. If you want to change the names of your classes in StudySync, follow this guide: StudySync-How to Change Course Names
• Link with Google: Here is information about linking StudySync to Google Classroom. Webinar: StudySync Google Integrations, Teachers: Linking Your Account with Google Classroom, Students: Linking Your Account with Google Classroom
• Link with IC via Google: IC Integration for Grade Passback

• FREE PD: Weekly FREE Webinars Several Available Each Week
• McGraw Hill's StudySync Ask-an-Expert Sessions
  • Nov. 16, 8:00-8:30am
  • Nov. 30, 8:00-8:30am
• New Features: Live Monitoring, Teacher Video Feedback Tool, Reteaching, and Advanced Scoring Feature, UDL Framework

• Help Center: Finding the Help Center in StudySync (video): You can find self-paced Training in the Help Center.
• Tutorials: StudySync Tutorials (Some of the most popular tutorials)
• Trainings: StudySync Trainings (Recorded CCS StudySync trainings from 2020 and 2021)
• Demo Code: Here is the demo code for StudySync in case you have a student teacher, building coach, or admin that wants to see the platform and they do not have a class aligned in Clever/IC. DEMO: https://my.mheducation.com, UN: studysync2021, PW: MHEela21
• Errors: If you notice an error in a StudySync assignment, send an email to Carla Mae cphillips3865@columbus.k12.oh.us. She will let both McGraw Hill and StudySync know so that they can make corrections.
• For the latest information at StudySync, sign up for the SyncUP monthly newsletter. Opt-in here: studysync.com/subscribe

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Bedford/Launchpad (Tier 1 Adopted Resource Honors and AP)

• Access: To get to Launchpad through Clever http://clever.com/in/columbuscity, click the Launchpad icon and click on the name of class/textbook.

• Support: HELP CENTER FORM: https://macmillan.force.com/bfwhighschool/s/

• Trainings & Tutorials: Bedford Overviews, Slideshows, Trainings, and Tutorials

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TeachingBooks (Supplemental Resource)

• Access via the Clever icon or http://clever.com/in/columbuscity. Click on the TeachingBooks icon.
• Novel Lists: This is the tool that houses the lists of novels we have in the warehouse and in the Secondary English Curriculum Office. Use this document TEACHINGBOOKS: ACCESSING COLUMBUS CITY SCHOOLS’ NOVEL LISTS TEACHINGBOOKS: ACCESSING COLUMBUS CITY SCHOOLS’ NOVEL LISTS and/or this video TeachingBooks Tutorial to learn how to access the CCS book lists.
  

1. CCS-Novels Available in the English 6-12 Curriculum Office
2. CCS Middle School Curriculum: Novels in Warehouse, Course Folder, or Adopted Resource
3. CCS High School Curriculum: Novels in Warehouse, Course Folder, or Adopted Resource
4. CCS English 6: Novels in Warehouse, Course Folder, or Adopted Resource
5. CCS English 7: Novels in Warehouse, Course Folder, or Adopted Resource
6. CCS English 8: Novels in Warehouse, Course Folder, or Adopted Resource
7. CCS English 9: Novels in Warehouse, Course Folder, or Adopted Resource
8. CCS English 10: Novels in Warehouse, Course Folder, or Adopted Resource
9. CCS English 11: Novels in Warehouse, Course Folder, or Adopted Resource
10. CCS English 12: Novels in Warehouse, Course Folder, or Adopted Resource

• TeachingBooks also is a place to get additional novel and author resources. These Overview videos/trainings from TeachingBooks can help you understand the resources: Introduction video I Slide Presentation and Training Script.
  
• Some Upcoming Webinars:
• Represent and Respect with TeachingBooks November 16 3:00PM
  Booklist & Collection Analysis with TeachingBooks December 14 3:00PM
  Support English Language Learners January 18 3:00PM
  Welcome to TeachingBooks! February 15 3:00PM
• Recorded Training: October 16th PD Session for CCS: Virtual and Blending Learning Recording
  
• Recorded Training: February 3rd PD Session for CCS: Booklists, Virtual Ideas, and More on TeachingBooks

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Secondary English Curriculum Videos

• Video-Getting to Know Your Secondary English Resources for New Teachers
• Video Orientation to Curriculum Docs/Folders
• Video-Using the Curriculum Maps with StudySync
• Video-Using the Honors Curriculum Maps with Launchpad
• Video-Using AP Pacing Guides with Launchpad
• Video-StudySync is Your Adopted Curriculum Resource, Not Your "Program"
• Video-Close Reading of Complex, Grade-Level Texts: Research & Practice
• Video-StudySync and Vocabulary Acquisition

IMPROVING READING FOR OLDER STUDENTS-ACHIEVE THE CORE COURSE

In this self-paced course, you will work on how to improve literacy outcomes for older students who are reading below grade level. Participants in this course will have the opportunity to learn the research behind literacy accelerators that can propel reading progress, consider how to support students in rebuilding their academic confidence, and gain practical skills for how to implement these ideas to support students in regular classroom settings. Register here. Registration will remain open until the course reaches capacity or the session begins on 10/19.

• Course Opens: 10/19/2021, End Date: 12/7/2021
• Primary Audience: 4-12 ELA/Literacy teachers and anyone who supports their work
• Certificate: A certificate showing 12 hours of professional learning is available upon course completion. Please reach out to your school district to ensure they will accept it.
• Pricing: $20 per person for individual registrations, $10 per person for teams of 4 or more

APPLICATION OPEN FOR ODE RANGE FINDING COMMITTEES

The Ohio Department of Education is now accepting applications for participants to serve on range-finding committees for English language arts (ELA). Range-finding committees use sample student responses to make recommendations for the range of acceptable responses, from no credit to partial credit, to complete credit. These ELA range-finding committees will convene virtually for a limited series of meetings. They are not ongoing committees. Meetings will be held in January-February 2022 only but will span several days. After you apply to participate on one of the committees, you will be able to indicate which dates you are available to serve. The dates for each of the secondary grade-level meetings are listed below.

• Grade 6, Jan. 24 - 27
• Grade 7, Part 1, Jan. 18 - 21
• Grade 7, Part 2, Feb. 14 - 16
• Grade 8, Feb. 7 - 11
• High School (ELA II), Part 1, Jan. 24 - 28
• High School (ELA II), Part 2, Jan. 31 - Feb. 4
• High School (ELA II), Part 3, Feb. 17 - 18

Here is more information. Here is the APPLICATION. If you have any questions please email the Office of Assessment at statetests@education.ohio.org.

LIBRARYCON LIVE (NEW)

Join Library Journal and School Library Journal on November 10 for the fifth annual LibraryCon Live! They're excited to present a day-long celebration of fandom lit, with panels devoted to horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and graphic novels. Plus, you can network online with other fans and explore their virtual exhibit hall.

THURBER HOUSE: ADULT WRITING WORKSHOPS FOR FALL 2021

• Virtual Adult Writing Workshop | 25 Tips for Better Writing NOV 8, 2021
• Virtual Adult Writing Workshop | Go Rogue! The Other Three NOV 11, 2021

2021 NCTE ANNUAL CONVENTION

NCTE 2021 will be a fully virtual event this year. From November 18–21, 2021, join your fellow language and literacy educators online for energizing community conversation, inspiring presentations from keynote speakers, and access to timely content to guide our practice and help us serve our students in these precarious times.

As an #NCTE21 attendee, you can look forward to:

• 25 live general and keynote sessions, 200 live and prerecorded/scheduled sessions, and 300 on-demand sessions
• Engaging opportunities for connecting with your peers, with authors, and with exhibitors via the online Convention platform
• Access to archived #NCTE21 sessions for 90 days after the event

CONVENTION SITE I REGISTER HERE

OSU'S PRESIDENT AND PROVOST'S DIVERSITY LECTURE & CULTURE ARTS SERIES WELCOMES ISABEL WILKERSON

Isabel Wilkerson

• First African American Woman to Win Pulitzer Prize in Journalism
• National Humanities Award Winner
• Author of The Warmth of Other Suns & Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents

Wednesday, December 1, 2021 | 5:00 p.m MORE INFO HERE

Registration is open until November 30, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. EST. REGISTER NOW

THE COLUMBUS METROPOLITAN LIBRARY'S CARNEGIE AUTHOR SERIES: AUTHOR TALKS

Check out the line-up for the remainder of this season.

• Brit Bennett (The Vanishing Half) December 5, 2pm

BONNIE CHAMBERS GRANT

Recognizing the extraordinary challenges teachers face, the Bonnie Chambers Grant Committee will award a one-time $2,000.00 grant to purchase books for K-6 students in an Ohio public school building.

This Bonnie Chambers Grant is designed to help teachers who strongly promote the use of quality literature in their classrooms. Teachers will use the grant money to select and purchase their own book choices (fiction or non-fiction) dealing with understanding and coping with COVID, racism and equality issues, and/or mental health issues for children and their families.

Application Criteria

• This grant is open to any Ohio public school teacher(s) in grades K-6 who demonstrates a need for money in the purchasing of classroom books for their elementary building.
• If a group of teachers apply, one teacher will apply on behalf of the building and serve as the contact teacher.
• Need can be demonstrated through free-lunch ratios, recent school-levy results, extraordinary events, etc.

Applications for the 2021 Bonnie Chambers Grants are available and due by December 31, 2021. Visit the Bonnie Chambers Grant page for more information: https://www.octela.org/awards/bonnie-chambers/

LIFECHANGER OF THE YEAR AWARD

The LifeChanger of the Year Award seeks to honor K-12 educators, teachers, administrators or school staff members who make a positive difference in students’ lives. Submit nominations by Dec. 31.

GIVEAWAYS

• Bulk Bookstore Discounts & Contests
• TeachingBooks October Contests & Giveaways
• We Are Teachers Contests & Giveaways

It is time to tell your students about the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast Speaker Contest!

THIS IS AN IN-HOUSE CONTEST. NO OTHER SCHOOLS WILL COMPETE!

CCS will select one student speaker to represent the district at the 2022 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast, held virtually on January 17, 2022. The competition to become that speaker is open to all students in Grades 6-12. CCS Superintendent Dixon will introduce our student speaker at the event. The winner will be chosen on December 3rd and will be professionally recorded delivering their speech via Zoom during the week of December 6th.

• Theme of Speech: How Long? Not Long.
• Length of Speech: 3 Minutes Maximum
• Deadline for Entry: Tuesday, November 30th

How To Enter

-Students should write their speeches, then upload a recording (or link to the recording) of themselves delivering the speech to this Google Folder: https://tinyurl.com/2022MLK.

-Alternatively, students/teachers may make a request for Carla Mae Phillips, cphillips3865@columbus.k12.oh.us, to record a student live via her Zoom room.

Let the Theme Guide You As You Write Your Speech

The Theme (How Long? Not Long.) is taken from "Our God Is Marching On!” This speech by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was given after the Selma to Montgomery March on March 25, 1965.

--HERE IS A FLYER TO DISTRIBUTE TO YOUR STUDENTS--

NOTE: THIS IS A SEPARATE CONTEST FROM THE CCS MLK BREAKFAST SPEAKER CONTEST, BUT STUDENTS MAY BE ABLE TO ADAPT THEIR SPEECH FROM OUR CONTEST FOR THIS ONE!

The City of Columbus Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Oratorical is taking place on Saturday, December 11, 2021 at Columbus Police Academy, 1000 N. Hague Ave., Columbus, OH 43204.

• All guests, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear a face mask.
• Divisions 3 and 4 (6th-12thGrade) will report for their orations at 12:30 PM.
• All Division Winners will be announced at 3:30 PM sharp.
• Each student will receive a specific time to arrive and perform.
• Please note that students will be permitted only 2 people (parent, coach or family member) to accompany them. Under no circumstances can we allow additional people.

Winners of the City of Columbus Youth Oratorical Contest will have the opportunity to present at the MLK Jr. Breakfast and City of Columbus Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. evening program. PARTICIPATION IN THE BREAKFAST WILL REQUIRE A PRE-RECORDED ORATION THAT MUST BE COMPLETED ON DECEMBER 17, 2021. Winners will also have the opportunity to compete in the Statewide MLK Youth Oratorical Contest in April 2022.
MLK Oratorical Registration I MLK Oratorical Rules and Regulations I MLK Contest Website

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Electronically: Click here to register!

2. By mail or drop off to: City of Columbus Department of Neighborhoods c/o Gale Gray, 1410 Cleveland Ave, 2nd Floor Columbus, OH 43211

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT ORATION IS NO LATER THAN 5:00 P.M. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2021. *ADDRESS: City of Columbus Department of Neighborhoods c/o Gale Gray 1410 Cleveland Ave, 2nd Floor, Columbus, OH 43211

EMAIL/QUESTIONS: GAGRAY@COLUMBUS.GOV

The Ohio Poetry Association's (OPA) annual high school poetry contest, offering cash prizes (up to $25) and publication to winners in nine categories, is now open. A grand prize-winning poem will be published in Common Threads. Eligible poems will be sent to the Manningham Trust Student Poetry Contest sponsored by the National Federation of State Poetry Societies. The OPA contest is open to any student in grades 9–12 in Ohio. There is no entry fee. The submission deadline is January 25, 2022. Here are the OPA Contest Specifics and the OPA Contest Site. For further inquiries or questions send an email to studentcontest@ohiopoetryassn.org.

CONTEST CATEGORIES

1. Voices from the Past – A persona poem in any style in the voice of someone or something from history or prehistory (e.g., a person/animal/artifact).
2. Ethos – Ethos is a Greek word defined as the distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group, or institution or the fundamental character or spirit of a culture. Write a poem that reflects in some way your own ethnicity or cultural heritage. Any form. 30-line limit.
3. Endings – A poem of any style/form 30 lines maximum.
4. Free Verse – A poem of no more than 10 lines on any subject.
5. Humor – A poem that makes us laugh—amusing, humorous, funny (but clean enough to print) in any form. 30-line limit.
6. Metrical Measures – Write a poem in any form that is metrical, e.g., sonnet, villanelle, blank verse. 30-line limit.
7. My Future: Write a poem about what you envision your life will be like 10 years from today. Any form. 30-line limit.
8. Lyric Poem - Any subject, i.e., sonnets, villanelles, pantoums, ghazals, elegies, odes and dramatic monologues.
9. Nature Poem – A poem of any style, up to two pages in length, about flowers, seasons, animals, weather, water, trees, or anything else that expresses an appreciation of the natural world.

The Scholastic Writing Awards are the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, presenters of the Awards, provides students with life-changing recognition, scholarships, and a platform for their voices to be heard. With an extraordinary roster of alumni—from Andy Warhol and Stephen King to Kay WalkingStick and Amanda Gorman—the Awards open the door to millions of dollars in scholarships/cash awards and an unparalleled platform for diverse voices.Teens in Grades 7-12 can enter, provided they are over age 13. There are 11 total categories for writing: Critical Essay, Dramatic Script, Flash Fiction, Journalism, Humor, Novel Writing, Personal Essay & Memoir, Poetry, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Short Story, and Writing Portfolio (graduating seniors only). The writing submission deadline for our region (Midwest Writing Region at Large) is December 8th.

Scholastic Awards Info Page I Scholastic How to Enter Page

Scholastic Categories Page I Scholastic Awards Media Kit

2021 PEN AND TELL IT!: VIRTUAL ON ZOOM

All 6th/7th/8th Grade Workshops are stand-alone, one hour sessions. Tuition is $20. If students register for two or more classes, you’ll receive 10% off!

• Gettin' Dicey, Sunday, November 7, 1:00-2:00 pm Eastern Time on Zoom

Have you ever tried a Role Playing Game? It’s a way to tell a story using dice that you can play for hours, even years! You’ll learn the basics of how to get your story and game going so you can play outside of class and beyond. Instructor: Justin Martin (he/him) is a writer and a prospective high-school English teacher at Vanderbilt University. But under the right stars, he gets weird, helping students time travel, write soap operas, and generally do anything that makes them better, stranger people.

• Writing Wild, Sunday, November 14, 1:00-2:00 pm Eastern Time on Zoom

Do you love to read tales of adventure or page-turning suspense? You will learn tips and tricks to write your own spine-tingling adventures using your own experiences and others! Instructor: Tommy Johnson (he/him) is a writer and educator in Raleigh, North Carolina with a passion for old books and contemporary sports-writing. His most memorable adventure thus far was a sleepless night of driving across the Midwest to help a friend in need.

• A Whole New World, Sunday, November 21, 1:00-2:00 pm Eastern Time on Zoom

Setting in story can be way more than just pretty descriptions of trees. Together, we'll design an exciting new world and learn how to bring a setting to life. Instructor: Mar Romasco Moore (she/they) is the author of the young-adult novels I Am the Ghost in Your House and Some Kind of Animal, and the forthcoming middle-grade novel Krazyland. She has an MFA from Southern Illinois University and teaches writing at Columbus College of Art and Design.
REGISTER HERE FOR ANY SESSION

"DON'T GET IT RIGHT, JUST GET IT WRITTEN." - JAMES THURBER

Every other week, local teens gather to write, create, and explore ways to get their stories on paper. Whether it's a passion, or just a hobby, students in grades 9-12 are invited to join Thurber House for an opportunity to spend time with others who also like to write. With Columbus College of Art and Design professor Robert Loss, students will be challenged to take a different spin each week through exploratory exercises designed to inspire out-of-the box thinking. A portion of each session is set aside for young writers who would like to bring in their own writing to be reviewed and discussed by their peers in a creative and nurturing environment. Students who prefer not to bring in work take part by learning how to talk about writing in a constructive way while helping fellow writers improve their pieces. Sessions take place on select Tuesday evenings from 6:30-8:30 pm. Each session is $15 and can be paid in advance by registering online. They also have a limited number of scholarships available for students who would like to attend. REGISTER

YOUNG WRITERS’ STUDIO FALL 2021

• Tuesday, November 16 from 6:30–8:30 pm

• Tuesday, November 30 from 6:30–8:30 pm

Poetry Out Loud (POL) encourages students to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. This program helps high school students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary heritage and contemporary life. Created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, Poetry Out Loud is administered in partnership with the Ohio Arts Council and Wild Goose Creative. Teachers, librarians, or administrators register their high schools each year with the Ohio Arts Council and organize contests with one class, several classes, or a whole school. Contests, workshops, and multi-media program materials, including curricula, are free. Poetry Out Loud is aligned with Common Core and National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) standards.

REGISTER I CONTEST STRUCTURE

Students in grades 6-12 are invited to be part of a student-led online roundtable discussion with the Ohio Department of Education concerning Ohio's Whole Child Framework: Healthy, Safe, Supported, Challenged and Engaged. There is no cost to participate. The goal of this series is to increase student voice in implementing Ohio's Whole Child Framework. Objectives include:

1. Engage with students
2. Have conversation about Ohio's Whole Child Framework
3. Gather student voices and ideas
4. Identify ways for schools to increase student voice to create schools that support the Whole Child.

The remaining public roundtable sessions will take place from 6:00-7:00 p.m. on the following dates:

• Tuesday, November 16
• Tuesday, February 22
• Tuesday, March 22
• Tuesday, April 19

Register HERE. Questions should be directed to Anthony Paletta, OASL Director of Advancement: anthony.paletta@oasl-oh.org

Holly St. Myer from the New Albany Community Foundation has extended an invitation for Columbus City School students to participate in the New Albany Student Lecture Series 2021-22 both as avid spectators and through advanced submission of thoughtful questions. If you would like students from your school to participate in any of the following lectures, contact Holly at holly@hinsonltd.com. Here are the upcoming lectures:

• February 16: Abby Wambach, World Cup Champ and Bestselling Author (Health & Wellbeing)
• March 10: H.R. McMaster, National Security Advisor, & Mary Louise Kelly, Co-host of NPR's "All Things Considered" (National Security)
• April 6: Robert Reich, Former U.S. Secretary of Labor, & Karl Rove, Former Deputy Chief of Staff (Civil Discourse and Debate)