A Fresh Face at the Helm of the Writing Center
This year the Writing Center has a new and improved feel to it, largely due to the new leadership of Mr. Loverude. Leaving his job as Assistant Head of Admissions, Mr. Loverude followed his passion for writing and has become the director of the Writing Center. In the past, Mr. Loverude has taught creative writing courses, such as “Essay Reading and Writing” and “Writing Lab,” an alternate course to “Skills and Strategies,” where students seek to improve upon their writing skills. As Mr. Loverude has transitioned into his new role, he is aiming to implement a stronger connection between the Writing Center and the general humanities curriculum.
Just a few weeks ago, Mr. Lee’s “Moby-Dick” class spent a full period workshopping essays with consultants. Having this type of class period is something that Mr. Loverude intends to develop throughout all grades because he wants to “get the consultants more involved in the community of the school.” Writing Center consultant Danielle Roth was excited about Mr. Loverude’s creativeness, stating that “Mr. Loverude brings a lot of enthusiasm and new ideas.” While these innovations are sure to propel the Writing Center to new heights, there was an adjustment period during the change of leadership. Roth commented, “I miss Mr. Jones – the previous Writing Center Director – but everyone has great ideas and different styles.” Students have taken well to the new leadership in the Writing Center, with Zach Bernstein ’21 saying, “I felt like there was much more focus on my work and how to improve.” The general consensus from students is that the Writing Center is heading in a positive direction and will attract more students in short order.
As we are only a quarter of the way into the year, there have not been many opportunities for the consultants and Mr. Loverude to make significant changes. As of now, the Writing Center is starting to plan its first Living Room of the year, which will occur in either November or December. A Living Room session is an after school period where anyone can come and share any piece of writing they want to; it is something that has been carried over from previous years.
As he was walking away, Mr. Loverude shouted, “Tell everyone to come to the Writing Center!” From the time students have spent in the Writing Center this year, they only have positive reviews to give. Aaron Hessel ’22 said, “It has become more efficient. He’s just a cool guy all around. He brought in good writing center consultants that are highly skilled and know what to do.” Students say that the energy and new ideas that Mr. Loverude and the consultants have brought to the Writing Center this year are sure to help students improve their writing and create a greater connection between the Writing Center and the school as a whole.