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WELLESLEY, Mass. -- This summer, a new advanced writing
program at Wellesley College will help upper-level high-school
students sharpen their writing skills at a critical time
in their education. It's the first time such a program has
been offered at the College. A non-residential course, it
is open to all high school juniors and seniors. Students
can apply online at www.wellesley.edu/SummerSchool/writingprog.html.
From the study of fiction to the writing of essays, the
program is designed to provide a challenging and rewarding
experience for high-school students looking to improve their
writing skills with the help of distinguished faculty from
both the high school and college levels. Among those faculty
members is Lynne S. Viti, a senior lecturer in the Writing
Program at Wellesley College. She understands the needs
of high-school students when it comes to sharpening their
writing skills.
"As students near the end of their high school years, it's
a good time for them to take stock of their writing and
to begin to see themselves as producers of writing to be
read--and read by more than an audience of one, not merely
writing to be graded by one teacher," Viti said. "Juniors
and seniors in high school are ready to move to the next
level in academic writing, to step away from the writing
schemes and formulas they have learned, and to understand
and to put into use the process of writing a well-informed,
substantial, well-developed argument."
Another course instructor, Amy Morrissey, teaches English
and creative writing at Wellesley High School. She agrees
that writing skills are essential for all students.
"Writing is an act of learning and communication; we write
to better understand ourselves, our world, and one another,"
she said. "Across the subject areas, high school juniors
and seniors are exposed to increasingly complex material,
requiring higher order thinking skills and abstract reasoning,
and writing is essential to processing and demonstrating
understanding. Good writers are better equipped to navigate
the world of ideas and their place in it, whether the task
at hand is a term paper, persuasive speech or college application
essay. Gaining greater proficiency at skills such as argumentation
and style allows students to make a greater impact on their
audience. This ability to communicate effectively will serve
students well in high school, college, and beyond."
Lynne Payson, director of the Wellesley College Summer
School, said the writing skills course is a direct response
from requests by parents, teachers and guidance counselors.
"To develop the writing program, we formed a committee that
included Lynne Viti and Adam Schwartz from our Writing Program
and few other area teachers," Payson said. "We received
more than 30 applications for faculty and hired six outstanding
teachers for the course."
In addition to this new course, the Wellesley College
Summer School offers a wide-ranging co-educational program,
featuring full credit courses drawn from the regular Wellesley
curriculum. It is open to all college students, college
graduates and eligible commuting high school juniors and
seniors. "This year we are offering over 35 courses in a
variety of diverse subject areas," said Payson. "This variety
is even more special because the courses are taught by our
own Wellesley faculty. This really distinguishes our program
from other summer-school programs."
The Summer School offers courses in the social sciences,
sciences, languages, mathematics, music, classical studies,
religion, arts and writing. It meets in two sessions: Session
I, from June 16 - July 11, and Session II, from July 14
- August 8. For more information, go online to www.wellesley.edu/SummerSchool/index.html.
Founded in 1875, Wellesley College has been a leader in
liberal arts and the education of women for more than 125
years. The College's 500-acre campus near Boston is home
to 2,300 undergraduate students.
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