Interview to Ms. Porchik, Department Head of English Language Arts following the celebration of the Secondary School Literacy Contest in conjunction with the Spanish Department headed by Ms. Peralta.
Could you please share the objective of the event and how would you assess it?
The objective of the Literary Contest is to incentivize and encourage creative writing. The idea came from Ms. Dorca and initially it was performed within her Spanish class and over time has extended to ELA and Spanish departments. The works are assessed by each teacher according to their standards and what kind of writing they decide to work on with their group.
Have you seen more interest in a certain genre?
Students tend to get more engrossed in writing when it is creative (typically narratives and poems).
Were there any novelties to this year’s contest?
This year I noticed how proud students felt to be present at the ceremony .Those also were so positive toward each other and celebrated each other’s achievements in writing. I really loved the feedback aspect of this Literary Contest because the students really glowed when they received meaningful positive feedback from the community.
Something caught your attention in the works presented this year?
The level of expression that was shown in the groups that chose to do poems really impressed me.
How would you describe Ashton readers and writers?
Ashton readers and writers are expressive. They love to be creative and be given opportunities to develop their creativity.
Anything in particular you may want to share that would reinforce the importance of hosting this type of activity?
Being able to recognize and honor student work as a school is a very powerful way of reinforcing all of the hard work and effort students put into the classroom.
How can parents encourage participation? Or should it be left to self motivation?
Parents can ask to read their students’ work at home and give them positive feedback. Recognition of our students’ hard work is a great way to motivate.
7th Grade
1st place- Juan Diego Cortina, “Los video-zombis”
2nd place- Juan Diego Lexama, “Roberto el detective”
3rd place – Lourdes bravo, “7 horas de sobrevivencia”
4th place – Amalia Florentino, “Nunca te rindas”
5th place – Rodrigo Camejo, “Deseos de nadador”
8th Grade
1st Place: “Water Water” by Michel Abreu Cerda
2nd Place: “The Beauty of Nature” by Ana Isabel Reynoso.
3rd Place: “Fear” by Gabriel Burgos Silfa
4th Place: A Life Scar by Jorge Amado Méndez Velóz
5th Place: The After Life by Marianna López Sánchez
9th Grade
1st Place: *Cambiaste mi vida* por Amelia de Dios
2nd Place *Te amo* por Sofía Díaz
3rd Place.*Querida* por Samuel de Jesús
4th Place.*Admirándote* por Sebastian Maco
5th Place. *Mi amor* por Isabella D’Alessandro
10th Grade
1st. “Fake Smiles of Politicians” by Esteban Castillo
2nd. “Green” by Nelson Bello
3rd. “For My Deceased Darling” by Mia Valentina Garcia
4th. “The Final Embrace” by Andrew Nutter
5th. “Nothing But Blood Inside It’s Walls” by Manuel Jose Pena
11th Grade
1st place, Ana Bendek, La Silla de ruedas
2nd place, Daniella Rosario, La Hacienda de la Casa Villalobos
3rd place, Sofía Ureña, Aventuras a través de la pantalla
4th place, Pedro Olavarrieta, El Dorado
5th place, María Fernanda Caraballo, A Ciegas
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