Programs for Students
College Essay Workshop for Rising Seniors
Find the inspiration to tackle that important Common App essay this summer. A veteran high school English teacher will guide you through understanding the essay, brainstorming your best stories, and workshopping a draft. All meetings will take place on Zoom or Google Meet. Click the image on the left for a downloadable flyer. Workshop may be canceled due to low enrollment.
All Sessions: Synchronous Online via Zoom
Registration
All Sessions: Synchronous Online via Zoom
- Session 1: (all participants) What is the college essay and how should I approach it? Date: Mon., June 16 at 7 PM (Zoom)
- Session 2: (small groups) What should I write about? How should I go about drafting? What can I write that will help me stand out? Small group meetings during the week of June 23. (Zoom)
- Session 3: (individual meetings) Get feedback on a finished draft in a one-on-one meeting with an instructor. Discuss approaches to revision and editing. Individual meetings scheduled during the week of June 30. (Zoom)
Registration
- Cost: $50
- Registration includes a general session, a small group session, and an individual session with the instructor.
- Registration link
- Deadline to Register: Tues., June 10, 2025
Click the image above for a downloadable flyer.
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2025 "Write Where You Are" Poetry Contest WinnersThe National Writing Project at Kent State University is pleased to announce the winners of the annual Write Where You Are Poetry Contest. Thanks to all the writers for the wonderful poetry entries and congratulations to our winners. Following the list of winners, you can view and download the Write Where You Are Poetry Magazine for 2025. Click the image to the left to open a copy of the Contest Magazine.
Winning Poets Grades K-2 First Place: "Lovely Lake Erie" by Grady Precurato, Austintown Elementary Second Place: "Spectacular Strong Scrappers" by Lucan Anderson, Austintown Elementary Third Place: "Magical Millcreek Park" by Stormie Risen, Austintown Elementary Honorable Mention: "My Relaxing Bedroom" by Kyesyn Powe, Austintown Elementary Grades 3-5 No entries received Grades 6-8 First Place: "Hubbard Road" by Arden Keller, Kenston Middle School (Bainbridge) Second Place: "Enough for Me" by Ayla Barnes, Lake Center Christian School (Hartville) Third Place: "A Rose" by Jasmine Gertsma, Berea Midpark Middle School Honorable Mention: "Panic" by Harlem Owens, TRECA Digital Academy Grades 9-12 First Place: "The Old Playset" by Ashley Rhee, Solon High School Second Place: "Rhythm Room" by Thomas Ksiazka, Independence High School Third Place: "Disconnected" by Sabrina George, Independence High School Honorable Mention: "Abecedarian" by Tae Smith, John Adams College and Career (Cleveland) Honorable Mention: "Bittersweet Silence" by Katelyn Shafer, TRECA Digital Academy Honorable Mention: "The Vault of Memories" by Jacob Butcher, Independence High School |
2024 "Write Where You Are" Poetry Contest Winners
The National Writing Project at Kent State University is pleased to announce the winners of the annual Write Where You Are Poetry Contest. Thanks to all the writers for the wonderful poetry entries and congratulations to our winners. Following the list of winners, you can view and download the Write Where You Are Poetry Magazine for 2024. Click the image to the left to open a copy of the Contest Magazine.
Winning Poets
Grades K-2
First Place: Aleena Ali, Austintown Elementary School
Second Place: Rylee Reardon, Austintown Elementary School
Third Place: Raelynn Watson, Austintown Elementary School
Honorable Mention: Gavin Lapushansky, Austintown Elementary School
Grades 3-5
First Place: Ryland Koch, Austintown Intermediate School
Second Place: Sophia Perline, Austintown Intermediate School
Third Place: River Barrette, Austintown Intermediate School
Honorable Mention: Lila Smith, Austintown Intermediate School
Grades 6-8
First Place: Shana Painter, North Ridgeville Academic Center
Second Place: Ayla Barnes, Lake Center Christian School
Third Place: Avery Schuster, North Ridgeville Academic Center
Honorable Mention: Elliot Gionfriddo, North Ridgeville Academic Center
Honorable Mention: Marynn Lacey, Nordonia Middle School
Grades 9-12
First Place: Lark Oehler, Medina High School
Second Place: Isabella Liu, Solon High School
Third Place: Ashley Todt, Independence High School
Honorable Mention: Leah Medley, Medina High School
Honorable Mention: Reese Patton, Revere High School
Winning Poets
Grades K-2
First Place: Aleena Ali, Austintown Elementary School
Second Place: Rylee Reardon, Austintown Elementary School
Third Place: Raelynn Watson, Austintown Elementary School
Honorable Mention: Gavin Lapushansky, Austintown Elementary School
Grades 3-5
First Place: Ryland Koch, Austintown Intermediate School
Second Place: Sophia Perline, Austintown Intermediate School
Third Place: River Barrette, Austintown Intermediate School
Honorable Mention: Lila Smith, Austintown Intermediate School
Grades 6-8
First Place: Shana Painter, North Ridgeville Academic Center
Second Place: Ayla Barnes, Lake Center Christian School
Third Place: Avery Schuster, North Ridgeville Academic Center
Honorable Mention: Elliot Gionfriddo, North Ridgeville Academic Center
Honorable Mention: Marynn Lacey, Nordonia Middle School
Grades 9-12
First Place: Lark Oehler, Medina High School
Second Place: Isabella Liu, Solon High School
Third Place: Ashley Todt, Independence High School
Honorable Mention: Leah Medley, Medina High School
Honorable Mention: Reese Patton, Revere High School
2023 "Write Where You Are" Poetry Contest Winners
The National Writing Project at Kent State University (NWP-KSU) is dedicated to training teachers as writers and helping students find their voice in our ever-changing world. Poems about physical places that hold special meaning to the writers were accepted through March 1, 2023.
NWP-KSU would like to thank our Teacher-Consultants Amy Hirzel, Kate Walley, and Valerie Miller for making the Write Where You Are: K-12 Poetry Contest a success. A special thanks to Dr. Lori Wilfong and her students for their help. Thanks to Amy Hirzel for creating the contest, collecting the poems, and designing the poetry magazine. Finally, NWP-KSU would like to thank the students who wrote and submitted poems. Your words are an inspiration to us all.
Winning poems:
Grades K-2
First Place: Jude Wesley Hilbert for “Tennessee Travels”
Second Place: Avery Bohr for “Camelot Lanes”
Third Place: Grant Robert White for “My Tiny Closet”
Grades 3-5
First Place: Keilana Miller for “The South Haven Sunset”
Second Place: Sadie Lender for “My Swing on a Summer Day’
Third Place: Reagan White for “My Home Away from Home”
Grades 6-8
First Place: Callista Rountree for “Where Are You?”
Second Place: Aleksandra Rosenblum for “Grandpa’s Living Room”
Third Place: De’Andrea Miller for “In This World"
Grades 9-12
First Place: Eleanor Kristan for “An Endless Sea”
Second Place: Evan May for “The Field Behind My Home”
Third Place: Diego Coutino Granados for “Concrete Embrace”
Read the winning poetry entries in the 2023 Write Where You Are Poetry Magazine linked to the image above.
NWP-KSU would like to thank our Teacher-Consultants Amy Hirzel, Kate Walley, and Valerie Miller for making the Write Where You Are: K-12 Poetry Contest a success. A special thanks to Dr. Lori Wilfong and her students for their help. Thanks to Amy Hirzel for creating the contest, collecting the poems, and designing the poetry magazine. Finally, NWP-KSU would like to thank the students who wrote and submitted poems. Your words are an inspiration to us all.
Winning poems:
Grades K-2
First Place: Jude Wesley Hilbert for “Tennessee Travels”
Second Place: Avery Bohr for “Camelot Lanes”
Third Place: Grant Robert White for “My Tiny Closet”
Grades 3-5
First Place: Keilana Miller for “The South Haven Sunset”
Second Place: Sadie Lender for “My Swing on a Summer Day’
Third Place: Reagan White for “My Home Away from Home”
Grades 6-8
First Place: Callista Rountree for “Where Are You?”
Second Place: Aleksandra Rosenblum for “Grandpa’s Living Room”
Third Place: De’Andrea Miller for “In This World"
Grades 9-12
First Place: Eleanor Kristan for “An Endless Sea”
Second Place: Evan May for “The Field Behind My Home”
Third Place: Diego Coutino Granados for “Concrete Embrace”
Read the winning poetry entries in the 2023 Write Where You Are Poetry Magazine linked to the image above.
2022 "Write Where You Are" Poetry Contest Winners
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For the 2022 Write Where You Are Poetry Contest, K-12 students across Ohio wrote original poems about physical places that hold special meaning to them. The poems were judged based on the writer’s ability to encapsulate, on one page, the emotional impact of one place.
Winning poems: Grades 3-5: Cole Minich for “Hole in One” Grades 6-8: Emma Chelbezan for "The Lake" Grades 9-12: Danica Banks for "Hospital" Read the winning poetry entries in the downloadable 2022 Write Where You Are Poetry Magazine linked to the image on the left. Thank you to all writers who submitted their work to this contest, and to our judges TCs Christiana Thompson and Jean Kanzinger. We appreciate every poem we had the honor to read! Thank you also to TC Amy Hirzel for managing the poetry contest. |
2021 "Write Where You Are" Poetry Contest Winners
For the 2021 Write Where You Are Poetry Contest, K-12 students across Ohio were asked to write original poems about physical places which hold special meaning to them. After receiving dozens of submissions, the poems were judged based on the writer’s ability to encapsulate the emotional impact of one place on one page.
Click on the image to the left to access the winning poetry in the 2021 Write Where You Are Poetry Magazine. In addition to print publication, 1st Place winners were honored with a special video reading of their poems from local authors. Thanks to all the writers who submitted their work to this contest. We appreciate every, single poem we had the honor to read!
Click on the image to the left to access the winning poetry in the 2021 Write Where You Are Poetry Magazine. In addition to print publication, 1st Place winners were honored with a special video reading of their poems from local authors. Thanks to all the writers who submitted their work to this contest. We appreciate every, single poem we had the honor to read!
K-2 1st Place Winner
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3-5 1st Place Winner
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