Rummel writing center lifts students’ confidence

Where’s a Rummel High School student going to go if he needs help with writing? To the Archbishop Rummel (RAFT) Writing Center, of course.

RAFT – which stands for Revise, Assess, Format and Transcribe – was launched on campus this year by Denise Otillio, a 35-year veteran teacher at Rummel, and the positive reviews are in.

“It helped me with my transitions,” said senior Paul Tran, 18, who visits the center for his college essay and English assignments. “I had a lot of grammar mistakes, and Miss Otillio helped with transitions to move from one point to the next.”

Otillio, Rummel’s former English department chair with a master’s degree in spirituality and literature and a former campus minister, said she and other English teachers saw the need for the center a few years ago as students’ struggles with writing became more evident. She reasoned that students don’t allot the necessary time or quiet space to complete the writing process on their own.

Rummel’s center is the perfect solution for that. It was designed using best practices from college writing centers Otillio discovered.

“We needed to have a facility to support the teachers (and students) through the writing process,” Otillio said. “Having been in the classroom, I know it takes a team approach.”

Initially, Otillio worked with English department teachers, who kept her abreast of assignments where students might need extra attention. The center is open to students across the curriculum. And, Otillio said her second-best customers are theology students.

Otillio knows writing tends to be personal, and students often doubt themselves. She wants students, with guidance, to be their own critics.

“The main objective is to have the students take ownership in their writing,” she said, “and have the mindset and patience to stay with a project and see it through. We are trying to meet the needs of the culture we are in.”

The door is always open

Otillio is available at RAFT during all periods, except for lunch, to sit one-on-one with students. She requires that students bring their first handwritten draft. She peruses it in front of them and then asks questions to clarify their understanding of an assignment. She then dialogues with them about concerns, brainstorms if they have writer’s block, helps them revise a first draft or whatever else is needed. The initial meeting with a student averages about 10 minutes.

She said at first, students saw the center as something else to do. “But, once they interacted, they found it to be very helpful,” she said.

Senior Mark Gomez, 17, had difficulty making people understand what he meant when he spoke.

“I always loved writing,” said Gomez, who plans to major in business marketing in college. “The best way I put my thoughts together is on paper. I came here initially because I wanted help with grammar and transitions and to write more, think harder and put words and grammar in my essays. The best advice I received was to use your creativity first … do what you want to do first and worry about everything else after.”

Teachers have mentioned to Otillio that students are becoming more comfortable with the writing process.

What’s been most delightful to her is finding “hidden gems” – talented student writers whom she’s helped develop short stories for outside the classroom.

“I like writing a lot,” junior Ethan Jung, 16, said, adding that English is his favorite subject. The center has helped him express himself better.

“I don’t need to rely on external sources with a paper now; I can be independent,” Jung said. “Miss Otillio said to take your time and don’t rush it. Now, it takes less time to write.”

Mohammed Altrashed visited the center after his theology professor wanted him to use more precise words and better engage audiences. He was also struggling with a thesis for service hours.

“Miss Otillio helped me engage the audience,” he said, after going to the center for a week during P.E. “It’s helped my grammar be come stronger, and it’s getting a little easier to write.” Altrashed continues to visit for new assignments in religion and English.

Otillio said writing centers are beginning to catch on at high schools nationwide. She aspires to join a national organization of writing centers for secondary schools to see how others are helping teens improve their writing skills.

“I’m just asking them the right questions to move them along,” Otillio said.

[email protected]