Addison Trail students participate in Illinois Writing Project’s 2024 Writing Palooza

On May 4, eight Addison Trail students participated in the Illinois Writing Project’s 2024 Writing Palooza at Carson School in Chicago (pictured above).

This annual conference is for students in grades K-12 and is hosted by the Illinois Writing Project and Northeastern Illinois University. The focus is to bring together young writers from throughout the Chicago area, along with teachers and family members. Following a keynote talk by motivational speaker, author and business consultant Michael A. Applegate, the students participated in breakout sessions that discussed a variety of aspects and genres of writing. The event concluded with a gathering of all the participants, where they were invited to share a sample of a piece they had composed during the day.

Five of the Addison Trail students not only attended a breakout session, but also led a session for elementary-grade writers. Juniors Jocelyn Morales and Chloe Perez led a storytelling group for third- and fourth-graders, while freshman Karen Juarez and sophomores Jade Gamba and Julian Saucedo hosted a presentation for pupils in kindergarten, first grade and second grade. The students were accompanied by Bianca Neff and Dr. Katy Smith, who staff Addison Trail’s Writing Center. Dr. Smith also is a director of the Illinois Writing Project.