Student and Director of the Writing Center for Joel Barlow High School Tim Huminski mixed advice, humor and encouragement while addressing Joel Barlow High School juniors at an April 10 reception honoring top performers on the school’s Junior Writing Portfolio.
Huminski spoke to 41 students who earned top distinctions, including 40 rated “Commendable” and one “Exemplary,” praising their achievement and urging them to continue developing their writing skills. Students received certificates of accomplishment and journals to support future work.
Now in its 33rd year, the Junior Writing Portfolio is a core component of the Joel Barlow curriculum, with completion at an “Effective” level required for graduation. Juniors compile five writing samples in the fall across genres such as creative writing, formal analysis and personal narrative. In the spring, teachers and outside educators evaluate the portfolios on a six-point scale, with scores of 5 and 6 designated as “Commendable” and “Exemplary,” respectively.
Selected portfolio excerpts will be published in the Writing Center’s annual Standouts collection, distributed to next year’s juniors.
Carolyn Hopstaken earned the “Exemplary” designation. Students receiving “Commendable” scores were Victoria Abukhovich, Ariana Almodovar, Christopher Alvarado, Valeria Amador, Austin Bradford, Austin Cameron, Rose Carney, Gabriella Casatelli, Edward Chiaramonte, Jade Collins, Anjali Dhar, Lila Fellows, Hayden Goldstein, Chloe Gustavson, Abigail Hall, Sara Jones, Mackenzie Kassner, Iris LaMastro, Molly Lapatine, Austin Lehberger, George Manna, Aurelia Martin, Grace Masone, Sofia Mendes, Milo Mutuski, Arjun Nambiar, Kurt Nelson, Douglas Pheeney, Melissa Ploss, Allison Prugh, Bridget Rexford, Sean Rinaldi, Lyra Robinson, Ripley Robinson, Amelia Samon, Melanie Schrade, Katherine Stowell, Roger Ungerer, Isabella Valvo and Frances Wood.
An additional 70 juniors earned a passing score of “Effective,” while 26 students will revise and resubmit their portfolios with support from the Writing Center.
