Julissa Torrijo

“[Dr. Carlton-Ford] is one of my favorite people in the whole world,” Audrey Symon, ‘25, a Writing Center helper, said. “I’ve formed a super close bond with her, some of my best friends are from the Writing Center and [formed a bond with] people that I’ve not necessarily met through there, but have become closer with through the Writing Center.”

As a part of the college preparatory education curriculum, WHHS has maintained a writing center for the past 20 years, just as many universities do.

“I noticed when I was still teaching at UC [University of Cincinnati], that a lot of [WHHS] parents I talked to said they wished their students had more writing experience,” Dr. Cindy Carlton-Ford “Dr. C,” the WHHS Martha Surnbrock Christopher Writing Center Director, said. “A parent and I talked to the principal at the time, and we proposed a writing center. Then, Ms. Heldman at the Alumni Foundation talked to one of the alumni supporters who was really invested in good writing, and among them, the idea began to take shape.”

While Carlton-Ford is tasked with running the Writing Center, in recent years she has received help with editing from student volunteers who act as Writing Center helpers.

“I’m embarrassed to say how long it took me to think of using student helpers,” Carlton-Ford said. “We’ve had a number of adult helpers throughout the years and they were great, but about seven years ago, I began to ask certain students if they would like to learn to edit, and every single time they said yes.”

Each year, Carlton-Ford asks the English teachers of sophomores and juniors to send in recommendations of students who might be qualified and interested in being student editors. Once accepted, students come into the Writing Center during their study hall to help out with everything from essays to English assignments for foreign exchange students who might not be as experienced with the language.

“Every day we come in, we tell Dr. C if we have the time to edit papers, and if she has papers for us, we typically edit them before the students come for their appointment,” Audrey Symon, ‘25, a Writing Center helper, said. “We sit down with them and have a short conference that involves going over edits, telling them any significant changes and then we ask them if they have any questions for us. Sometimes kids will just come in looking for ideas and inspiration on a paper they haven’t started yet.”

The skills gained through editing other students’ papers have not only helped the Writing Center helpers hone their writing skills but also helped prepare them for life beyond WHHS.

“I definitely want to continue being a student editor in college because most colleges have a writing center,” Symon said. “I am possibly going to minor in creative writing, but I haven’t decided yet. I will probably always be a writer; I don’t know if it’s a career option for me, but writing is critical in any career you go into.”

While a good portion of their time is spent editing and helping students, the Writing Center helpers also have a lot of time devoted to personal homework as well as bonding with their co-workers.

“I love the community that our little writing center has,” Nyla Shahanavaz, ‘25, another Writing Center helper, said. “We all have these little buttons for the Writing Center, and we leave each other notes all the time. It’s very cute.”

With the school year almost over, this tight-knit community must begin to say goodbye to its graduating members as well as prepare to say hello to new editors who will join in the fall.

“Good writing is good thinking is what we like to say,” Symon said. “If you want to be a student helper, first of all, you shouldn’t just do it as an addition to your resume, you should do it out of a true love of writing and for helping other students. I would say all you need is just strong writing skills, and if you feel like you have that, you should definitely become a student editor.”