Mrs. Barbara Dooley finds herself taking up another advisor position alongside the Crochet Club. This year, she’s become the new advisor for the Creative Writing Club. Every Monday after school, Dooley advises the club on a new endeavor, creating an online Creative Arts magazine in which the students can publish their works.
Dooley states, “This [website] was my idea, which I had been rolling around for a while now. In the past, I tried to put together a paper arts journal of some sort for our students, but there was little interest by the student body, and we received no submissions. This time, I have an incredible group of students who are driven, hard-working, and endlessly creative; they have been essential in the development and design of our publication.”
In past years, the Creative Writing Club consisted of hour-long meetings once a week in which members would either follow randomized prompts provided by the previous advisor or bring in pre-made rough drafts of personal projects that their peers would read over and review.
This year, however, the arrangement of the club has changed.
With Dooley’s idea of this online magazine in mind, the club has dedicated the beginning of the year to designing its website, which resembles a student journal, where club members will be able to publish their creative works online for others to view.
The new arrangement for the club is met with eagerness. Junior Emily Moore states, “ I really enjoy the club under our new advisor, Mrs. Dooley!”
Even with the excitement over the website, the club has been hard at work with other practices. The club hosts writing workshops, peer feedback sessions, and discusses different ways in which people can publish their work.
Through the bustling meetings, the club’s main focus remains: building a strong community of writers, a safe place in which students can share their ideas.
A current sophomore who has recently joined the club states, “I joined because I wanted to meet more people and be part of a community that I [actually] feel a part of.”
Providing a haven for aspiring writers and generally creative students, Dooley’s classroom has helped form a community of students with stories they have to share.
