"Do The Write Thing" Enters Sixth Year

An after-school program for encouraging creative thought and expression is about to enter its sixth year.

“Do The Write Thing,” a program for students in the between grades six and eight, will begin on Sept. 13. It runs from 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the school year at Hygienic Art. The free program allows students to try their hand at subjects such as creative writing, short stories, poetry, playwriting, and rap.

“We want kids to get excited about writing,” said Nancy Rodgers, the program director and an English teacher at . “We want to include the visual and performing arts. We want them to be proud of our city. We want them to think of an art gallery as theirs as much as anyone else’s.”

David Iler, a seventh grade language arts teacher at , will also be taking part in the program. Iler said Do The Write Thing has evolved swiftly, attracting more and more students each year as well as a good crowd for the year-end performance of student work at Hygienic Art Park, a tradition which began two years ago.

“In five year’s, she’s doubled about every aspect of it,” said Iler.

The writing exercises seek to make use of the gallery and its location downtown. Students are asked to write about the stories behind the people and images appearing in exhibits, the scenes they see from the picture windows in one gallery, locations they are allowed to observe with every sense except sight, and impromptu interviews with people they meet downtown.

Rodgers and Iler said the exercises are valuable in building up skills such as problem solving and critical thinking. The writing can serve as both a creative and emotional outlet.

“This kind of writing is therapeutic for kids,” said Rodgers.

“It’s amazing to see how much better they get in everything they do,” said Iler. “Some of these kids would never even speak, and one of them turned into Eminem incarnate for goodness sake.”

Several sponsors help keep the program going, including the , a community development block grant through the city, , and Dominion. Rodgers said the hope is to keep expanding the program by incorporating visits from artists and having the gallery in use during its off-hours.

For more information on the program, contact Rodgers at rodgersn@newlondon.org or 860-443-8001.