Each month during the regular writing submission periods, Writing Program evaluators select exemplary writings to be published as Essays of the Month on the Writing Program website.  Along with each essay published as an Essay of the Month, you will find a comment from the evaluator who selected it, highlighting the strengths of the writing, and brief connections, helping to put the writing in context.

As the Essay of the Month archives grow, the Writing Program will design a searchable table of contents of these published student essays as a student and teacher resource. Stay tuned!

Current Essays of the Month:

The May 2007 Essays of the month are by second grader Emily Brown and tenth grader Rachel Stone.

Emily Brown: The Island
"I stand in the middle of all this action---amazed." 
read the full poem

Rachel Stone: Dream
"I saw someone other than myself in the mirror. I then ran my hands over my face and body and realized that everything was different. I was in Morpheus' body from Neil Gaiman's novel, The Sandman." read the full essay

April '07 Essays of the Month:

Samuel Davis: Stranded in Space
"Excitement rushed through my body. Like all my dreams as a child, I had entered outer space. Now I was going to be the first person to set foot on Mars, the Red Planet."  read the full essay

Ferdinand Tuntomo : A Better World to Live in, Not a Fancier One
"No, there isn’t anything astounding and exciting about the future. Yet as I ponder it, I realize that the future I live in now is closer to perfect than anything I had imagined as a teenager. The ideal future is not a fanciful age of technology, but simply a better world for us to live in." read the full essay

March '07 Essays of the Month:

McKenna Avery: Wilber
"I looked around the neighborhood to find the answer. I looked at the fire hydrant. I looked in the mailbox. I looked in my backyard and saw Wilber."  read the full essay

Shelby McCoy: To Hear . . .
"This lovely coffee shop had been a good thinking spot for me. I had needed a rest like this. I slowly got up and went to order a cup of chai tea to take outside and wait for my mother to pick me up. I was proud of myself as I confidently ordered, read the woman behind the counter’s lips, and gave her the correct amount of money." read the full essay

February '07 Essays of the Month:
(special on Writing Self-Assessments)

John Marsh:  "You can never stop learning in writing. I enjoy it not only because it is fun, but also because I know that every time I write, I grow more and more." read the full essay

Amanda Toro: "Having another reader gives me a better understanding of how to relate what I feel to others."  read the full essay

February '07 Essays of the Month (continued):
(special on Writing Self-Assessments)

Jaimie Toro: "I read every spare minute of the day, I think of the audience for whom I’m writing, and I write what I know." read the full essay

Carlie Westerman:  "I find myself talking in a truthful way inside my mind as I write." read the full essay

January '07 Essays of the Month:

Catherine Toews: Learning to Swim
"On the last day of swim lessons, I was nervous and excited all at the same time."  read the full essay

John Lilly: "I Told You So"
"I was convinced I had a jinx when it came to fishing.  No matter how many times my dad dragged me along with him to go fishing, we were always skunked." read the full essay

December '06 Essays of the Month:

Logan Kelly: A World Without Sound
"Looking out at the ocean I see the waves break soundlessly like molten metal.  I never really noticed or appreciated that before.  My mom and sister say something to me, then remember my school paper and start gesturing wildly." read the full essay

Michael Clarke: Persuasive Letter
"I firmly believe that with your help, and the cooperation among the different governments and agencies involved in this project, we will succeed not only in improving the environment, but also in creating a more attractive throughway for local residents." read the full essay