Founded during the 2021-2022 school year, the QHS Writing Center at Quincy High School (QHS) in Quincy, Washington, is a student-run, teacher-directed secondary school writing center available to all students (grades 9-12) at a rural public high school. The QHS Writing Center is open during the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th periods of a seven-period school day, with five peer tutors currently available for the 1st semester of this school year. Jacque Rasmussen, teacher-librarian, and Austin J. Foglesong, English teacher and enrichment specialist, currently serve as co-directors.
We offer one-on-one tutoring in the school library, and if requested by teachers, peer tutors can enter classrooms to provide support in person. Our main criteria are helping students at any stage of the writing process and not completing the work for the tutee but being there as a helping hand. Right now, while we are still primarily a “writing center,” we plan to transition (for the 2nd semester of this school year) into more of a “learning center” (with all-subject tutoring) available throughout the school day by partnering with the math department.
With the generous help of our peer tutors, we have been very fortunate to provide the service and support needed for all students to create their best work. All students can benefit from the extra help being offered, including those who are multilingual learners. Students can schedule times to work with a peer tutor one-on-one, or walk-ins are available if needed. We strive for the academic achievement of our student population, so the QHS Writing Center was created as a tool for QHS students to utilize to advance their writing skills and further their learning across all subject areas. In addition, the QHS Writing Center provides the confidence for students to be proud of their work, and if done correctly, the skills of our peer tutors will give that final push for their peers to continue to strive to be great learners.
A peer tutor (and QHS senior), Karen, shared, “Last spring, I attended the virtual Revolutionary Partnerships conference. There was a lot that I learned, but what I remember most is learning about the Family Fun Day activities shared by another secondary writing center. At QHS, we incorporated a Family Fun Day into our schedule last school year every Friday. We played games, ate a lot of food, and I got to know the other peer tutors in the writing center better. I hope Family Fun Day activities continue this school year! I am excited to be a second-year peer tutor. I feel more confident as a writing tutor this year.”
As a Jensen-Hutton Grant for Emerging Centers recipient in 2021-2022, the QHS Writing Center found a supportive international community and received professional development for its co-directors and peer tutors, which proved invaluable. In addition, the grant and the Secondary School Writing Center Association, as a whole, gave the QHS Writing Center more influence when coordinating with school and district administrators.
Learn more about the Jensen-Hutton Grant for Emerging Centers and other grant opportunties.