PROJECTS & COLLABORATIONS
Workshops
The Shaker Writing Center aims to meet the needs of the Shaker student body, and with that in mind, we offer workshops that support groups of students with similar needs.
Specifically, over the past few years, that has meant that we have planned and run workshops for the College Essay Writing Process, Resume Writing, and AP and Regents writing review sessions.
Senior Reading Night
In December, when many seniors are finished writing their college essays, we hold an after-school open-mic for seniors to share their personal statements or any other writing that they are proud of. The goal is to provide a real, human audience for writing that might not otherwise have a live audience but should.
Writing Groups
Whether groups of writers need a place to gather to work on their novels during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) or classmates are looking for a consultant to guide them as they work together on an assignment, the Shaker Writing Center encourages Shaker students to use the Writing Center and its resources. We would like to support an authentically engaged community of writers at our school, and all are welcome to use C208 to write after school.
Game Club
A central mission of the Shaker Writing Center is to provide a safe, nonjudgmental space for all students. With that in mind, in 2015, writing consultants started a game club designed to help English language learners at Shaker increase their fluency in spoken language.
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Writing consultants organize low-stress meetings in which Shaker students across a wide spectrum have fun while getting to know each other.
National Day on Writing
October 20th is the National Day on Writing. Each year, the Shaker Writing Center organizes resources or activities for all Shaker students to take part in. In recent years, we have offered the Point Project, Silhouette Stories, the Great Bison Hunt, and Humans of North Colonie. Some years are more formal celebrations than others, but we are happy to start off the year with an emphasis on the joy that writing can bring to all of us.
Fun Fridays
About once a month, usually on Fridays, we invite writers into the Writing Center to participate in a fun, zero pressure writing activity.
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Some of our usual events are Staff Hand Turkey-Making Day in November, Burning the Old Year in January, Ready-Made Valentine's Day in February, and Shakespeare's Birthday Party in April.
Breakout EDU
In 2016, the Shaker Writing Center got really excited about gamifying aspects of writing and reading. We spent the next few years writing original mystery room challenges for students ranging from elementary to high school.
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Goose Chases
in 2017, we upped our gamification game and added Goose Chases to our repertoire. Beginning with a Spirit Week fundraiser (see the video below), we used Goose Chases to get people's minds AND bodies moving.
We celebrated the National Day on Writing at the high school with a Bison Hunt Goose Chase and, over the next couple of years, used Goose Chases to celebrate Loudonville 6th graders' completion of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Toulane.
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Young Writers
From 2013-2020, the Shaker Writing Center worked with writers in grades 4-6 in conjunction with the the North Colonie Young Writers Program (which no longer runs), helping to guide students through the drafting and revision process.
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The Writing Center has also worked with third grade writers in an after school creative writing club and, during the pandemic, for a month-long celebration of National Poetry Month.
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