$1500 Awarded to BCHS Writers. The Writing Initiative funded the “Letters About Literature” competition sponsored by the district Gifted Committee in November and December, 2020.

In a process outlined by the Library of Congress and endorsed by the National Writing Project at the University of Connecticut, students were asked to write a letter to the author (living or dead) of a book, poem, or speech that had a personal impact. Letters were to fall into the 250-650 word range.

Several entries were submitted by students who participated in a creative writing workshop in a November ZOOM session with Ken Cormier, professor of English & Creative Writing at Quinnipiac University. The workshop was coordinated through the district’s gifted coordinator, Alan Theriault.

Entries were read and ranked by Theriault and an eclectic panel of judges with strong connections to writing at Bristol Central: Cindy Freimuth, Dorothy Raviele, Jennifer Taylor.

The Writing Initiative is looking to stage several writing events in the coming months. (See “Tentative Calendar of Events” Below) In the era of remote learning, writing workshops such as Professor Cormier’s ZOOM session and focused writing challenges such as the Letters About Literature program have yielded excellent results.