Tim Huminski offered writing advice combined with encouragement and humor to a group of Joel Barlow High School juniors. Huminski spoke at a special reception at the school on April 4 to recognize the 19 juniors who scored “Commendable” on their Junior Writing Portfolios.
He recognized the students for their achievement and challenged them to continue to hone their writing skills throughout their lives. He then presented the students with certificates of accomplishment in recognition of their hard work as well as a journal for them to continue honing their writing skills
Now in its 32nd year, the Junior Writing Portfolio is an integral part of the Joel Barlow curriculum. Completion of the portfolio at an “Effective” level is a graduation requirement.
In the fall of their junior year, Barlow students compile five pieces of their writing in categories including creative, formal analysis and personal narrative. In the spring, a team of teachers and other educational professionals assesses the portfolios and assigns scores on a scale of 1 to 6. “Commendable” indicates a score of 5 and a score of 6 is deemed “Exemplary.” Select portions of these portfolios will serve as models in the Writing Center’s annual publication, “Standouts,” which will be distributed to upcoming juniors in the fall.
The students receiving “Commendable” scores were Abigail Avidon, Finn Bermingham, Abigail Bonoff, Yu-Min Cho, Vince Covino, Cleder Cueto, Ava Gillon, Talia Itah, Luke Janny, Priti Kiefer, Kosta Nani, Arianna Pereira, Kenji Perretz, Ryan Puglio, Michael Sherman, Olivia Taylor, Maansi Tibrewal, Natalie Wantke and Amelia Winter.
In addition, 120 juniors received the passing score of “Effective,” and 26 students will work with the Writing Center to revise and resubmit their portfolios.
