The din becomes a deafening roar as students spot friends from other area schools, chat excitedly about the day’s events, or rush to get a seat by their classmates. There are clenched fists, eager faces, crossed fingers. The awards ceremony is about to begin.
Some 3,000 junior and senior high school students from Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana, Mercer, and Lawrence counties attended the 27th annual Youngstown State University English Festival on April 20-22.
YSU English Professor Stephen Sniderman, the Festival’s co-chair, said the English Festival reminds teens of the importance of reading and writing and conveys the message that the community values literature and critical thinking.
“It gives students who love to read, write and think a chance to win prizes and get public recognition for these skills just as good athletes do,” said Sniderman. “This unique program is important because it sends crucial messages about the value of reading, writing, and thinking.”
The aim of the English Festival is to “provide an exciting and stimulating setting for enjoyable and worthwhile reading and writing activities.”
To prepare for the Festival, students read seven books selected to represent the best in young adult literature.
Participants then listen to a noted author, write impromptu essays, collaborate on writing games and workshop activities, attend dramatic or artistic performances, and participate in “insight” book discussions and “not-so-trivial pursuit” competitions.
Lakeview High School sophomore Matt Rowe said his favorite session was “Not-So-Trivial-Pursuit” because he likes “answering trivia questions.”
“Writing Games,” in which students wrote advertisements for items from the Festival books, was Kennedy Catholic High School freshman Ryan Loreno’s favorite session.
“I liked it because everybody had a job to do,” he said.
Canfield High School sophomore Katelyn Amendolara also liked Writing Games, but said it was “really hard to get everyone to interact.” She said she also enjoyed the prose workshop in which students chose prompts on topics from the Festival books.
Wilson High School senior Amber Long attended the Tribune Chronicle Journalism Workshop, which included a crash-course in interviewing and news reporting and a press conference with either Jacqueline Woodson, author of “Hush,” “If You Come Softly,” and “I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This,” on the Festival booklist, or Lois Stover, the author of several books on young adult literature. The participants then had 45 minutes to write an article.
Long said she appreciated Stover’s advice about following your heart and the benefits of reading.
“She was just so regular,” said Long. “She was very comfortable and very honest.”
Tribune Chronicle Assistant Managing Editor Guy C. Coviello said he hopes the journalism workshop gave students an understanding of what journalists do.
“It’s difficult to ask difficult questions, it’s difficult to think on your feet, it’s difficult to take lots of complex information and condense it into an easy-to-read and understand format,” said Coviello.
Katie Reyzis, a Liberty High School junior, interviewed Jacqueline Woodson.
“I loved the author,” said Reyzis. “I thought she was really interesting. I loved her confidence and the way she looked at life. I liked her optimism and that her greatest motivation was to change the world.”
Reyzis said the workshop taught her the importance of being objective and conveying the who, what, where and when of the story to the reader.
“I want to go into journalism, and that kind of gave me a crash course,” said Reyzis.
Sniderman’s favorite part of the Festival is “seeing students cheering for their classmates who win prizes, screaming and yelling the way they would at a football or basketball game."
The Festival originated in 1978 when Professor Thomas Gay and Dr. Carol Gay established a memorial fund in memory of their daughter, Candace McIntyre Gay, who died of cancer at age 13.
In 2004, the English Festival received the Intellectual Freedom Award from the National Council of Teachers of English for its efforts to encourage a broad range of reading experiences for young people.
Coviello said the English Festival and other similar programs are vital.
“It takes academics and treats them like sports," said Coviello. “So you end up with kids excited and competitive about learning. Imagine if we had always treated reading and writing like football and basketball. We’d all be so much smarter."
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Author wants to change the world
By CORINNE BROTHERS, South Range Middle School
Early in her life, Jacqueline Woodson knew she wanted to change the world though writing. Now, Woodson, author of more than 20 books, has made the impact she first desired.
Woodson was the featured author at the 2005 Youngstown State University English Festival. Her award-winning books "Hush" and "If You Come Softly" were featured on the 2005 book list, along with "I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This."
Woodson held a press conference during the festival’s Tribune Chronicle Journalism Workshop. She said the main reason she attended was to talk to the young adult readers, and she said enjoys talking to children.
She stressed to the writers to not be afraid. She said, "Write because you love it, not because you think you'll make a million dollars. You need to read to write."
Woodson said she enjoys writing anywhere. Though her topics in her books are sometimes intense, she wants to spread the message of tolerance so people around the world can be accepting of each other’s culture.
Racism, a main issue in "If You Come Softly," never was a problem in Woodson's life. She said that people sometimes try to avoid and deny the racism faced in her books. Woodson said racism is still alive and is something we need to face.
In Woodson's spare time she said she enjoys running, playing basketball, sewing and simply hanging out with friends and family.
Woodson was born in Columbus. She attended college at Adelphia and majored in English. She said her motivation for writing is simply finishing the story. She enjoys challenging herself with several genres and age categories.
Woodson still is surprised when she sees her name on a book binding. Her newest book is an autobiography about her life and her family, dealing with people from Woodson's great-great-grandmother to her daughter.
Woodson explains that "Hush" was meant to help people relate to themselves and perhaps solve any identity crisis among teenagers. Woodson refers to her books as realistic fiction. She wants people to think about the controversial subjects in her books. Her role models range from her daughter to her dog to many of the great American novelists who simply showed her that she can write.
Woodson said, "The best of writing is getting to write. And the worst of writing is having to write. It’s just a love-hate situation."
Sometimes Woodson says she is fearful of what her writing may cause, but she realizes that fear is just part of life, and you can't let it control you. Woodson says she is surprised when critics read her book and mention the plot. "I never really think of a plot; it’s just an organic process."
Through writing, Woodson says she leaned that she can finish anything. She hopes to change the world through fiction and inspire young writers to make their mark by making a difference.
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Prom is a fun—but costly—event
By ANNA GIBSON, Lordstown High School
One of the important moments of high school is the junior-senior prom. It’s the one night of the year that girls and guys can go all out with dresses, tuxes, limos, jewelry, the works. Girls flock as far away as Pennsylvania or Columbus to search for the hard-to-find perfect dress.
Yet prom is becoming more and more expensive for teens and their parents. Here is a list of the average costs from promguide.com:
Dress: $75-$400
Dresses are probably one of the most costly and most important parts of prom. Some girls buy a dress on sale off season, and there are girls who are willing to pay whatever it costs for that one right dress.
Accessories: $100-$200
A guy usually doesn’t have much to pay for clothing-wise except for his tux and shoes. But girls are a different story. Accessories usually include shoes, a shawl/wrap, a purse, earrings, a necklace, a bracelet, hair pieces, not to mention all the little things that need to be crammed into a purse, such as makeup, gum, aspirin, a hand mirror, etc.
Tickets: $45-$200
The price depends on whether the school has dinner at prom or not, plus there are a lot of things that go into prom, such as a DJ and a nice restaurant or hotel that can make the tickets pricey.
Transportation: $5-$400
There are several means of transportation to prom. There is always the classic option of driving a parents car. Then there are the more costly options of renting a limo for the night or renting a nice car.
Makeup: $35-$50
Paying to get made up is usually the most expensive way, but it would be a lot cheaper if girls have their friends do their make up, or another option is getting it done professionally in a department store like Dillard’s. It’s usually free if it is done at a department store, but make sure to sign up several weeks in advance because the dates and times tend to book quickly around prom time. Girls, don’t forget to wear a button-down shirt, so that perfect hair style won’t get messed up when getting dressed.
Hair: $35-$60
Guys are so lucky. All they have to do is put some gel in their hair, style it a little, and they’re done. For girls, it’s completely different. They have to find the right hairstyle to accentuate their dresses, and it usually takes a lot of time to accomplish this. To get the desired hairstyle, always remember to bring in a picture to show the hairdresser. It will save a lot of time that might be wasted on tears, screams and showers to wash the hairstyle out.
Nails: $15-$25
This applies only to the girls (but it wouldn’t hurt if the guy trimmed his nails a little just to make them look a little neater). Press-on nails are the cheapest but also the most unreliable. Getting nails at a salon costs a lot more, but they will definitely last through the night. Pedicures are also something to consider if the shoes are going to be open-toed. It wouldn’t do to have beautiful fingernails and then have ragged little piggies, would it?
Photographs: $45-$150
Professional photographs are usually taken at prom, and though it does cost extra money from the prom budget, it will be worth it 30 years from now when you can look back and think, “What in the world was I thinking with that dress/hair/ prom date?” Plus it’s a good idea to have some disposable cameras to catch those Kodak moments with friends.
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Exchange student talks of life in Brazil
Special to Page One
CORTLAND -- Marcella Magalhaes of Uberlandia, Brazil gave a vivid presentation on life in Brazil to the Cortland Rotary Club during a recent meeting at the Lake Vista Community Room.
Magalhaes has been attending Lakeview High School this year as a Rotary club youth exchange program student. "She is a fine representative of her country, and this is a great example of how Rotary International works for world understanding and peace," said Tom Montgomery.
Montgomery, the Cortland Club’s International Chairman, added, "The Cortland Rotary Club strives to host incoming students and sponsor outbound students each year."
This year, the club is also hosting Petra Sebkova from the Czech Republic. Two Lakeview students, Erica Daniels and Taylor Orth, were sent to Brazil and the Czech Republic respectively.
Magalhaes and Sebkova return home in June.
The Rotary Club of Cortland is taking applications for outbound students for the 2005-2006 school year. The applicants should be 17 or 18 years old and need not be presently associated with the Rotary. Students interested should call Montgomery at 330-638-7310 for more information.
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Crazy Eights
Compiled by
Jessica Black
NAME: Andrew Christopher Barran
SCHOOL: John F. Kennedy High
GRADE: 11
1. What’s the one TV show you are glued to?
"Everyone Loves Raymond." It's so hilarious.
2. Where do you most frequently hang out?
In my basement where I spend time on the computer, or watching TV, when I’m with my friends.
3. Where would you like to be and what would you like to be doing in 10 years?
Living happily with my wife and working as a mechanical engineer.
4. What is your proudest moment?
When I got to be a helper for autistic and mentally handicapped children during a program called TOPSoccer.
5. What is your most embarrassing moment?
When I got my head stuck while vacationing in Disney World when I was only 6 years old. My dad had to come and yank me out.
6. What really ticks you off?
When people joke around, not intending to hurt you, but they end up doing so.
7. What is your idea of a perfect date?
Just watching a movie, getting something to eat, cuddling up and hanging out.
8. Who do you most admire?
Jesus over any other. He lost everything to save the human race.
Crazy Eights is produced by students attending the Tribune Chronicle high school journalism workshops. For information on the workshops, e-mail
pageone@tribune-chronicle.com.
