Sandburg's Literacy Lab students visit DePaul

Carl Sandburg High School Lit Lab supervisors Judy McAuliffe, Wendy Moss, Tom Maguire, George Fear, and English Department Chair Sarah Smith accompanied 32 Carl Sandburg Lit Lab Tutors to DePaul University’s Center for Writing-based Learning (UCWbL) at the beautiful Lincoln Park Campus. The immensely collaborative tone of the field trip was established right from the beginning as DePaul’s student tutors and professors built a rapport with Sandburg students using icebreaker activities that asked students to share ideas on a wide range of topics.

After the opening activities, Lit Lab tutors attended collaboration time with specific UCWbL programs. DePaul’s staff prepared 5 breakout sessions for Sandburg tutors to attend two forty-five minute workshops. The breakout sessions included: Writing Center Tutoring, Writing Groups, Student Leadership, Writing Center Outreach, and Films.

After her sessions, Sandburg senior and two-year Lit Lab Tutor Marissa Arrigoni commented, “I got a lot of quality feedback on a piece of mine that I had written, and the tutors had such good advice on how to run my own writing group back here in Orland Park. The tutors were all very welcoming, and it was one of the best field trips I’d been on in a long time. It was a different atmosphere, because
everyone was just as excited about English as I was.”

During the breakout sessions, Lit Lab tutors Eric Johnson, Amanda Pavic, and Laura Kilikervicius
attended DePaul’s radio studio and were featured on DePaul’s Scrawl radio show. Live on air with DePaul’s student hosts, Sandburg tutors discussed the importance of tutoring as a service and an opportunity for personal growth.

“It was really nerve racking at first to be on the radio, but the DePaul students were so welcoming and calming. I really enjoyed sharing and hearing ideas,” said Amanda Pavic.

Sandburg Lit Lab supervisors and UCWbL administrators also had time to collaborate and share ideas to improve the frequency of attendance and quality of instruction in each respective writing center.

“It was a great opportunity to have time discuss research based practices that we could implement, and it was evident the amount of resources the University has allocated to UCWbL to establish it as the thriving place that it is. UCWbL certainly provided us with a 3 to 5 year vision for what we can accomplish in our Lit Lab,” said Judy McAuliffe.

After the sessions, DePaul’s administration fed our tutors and faculty lunch prior to administering the closing activities, where Sandburg tutors had the opportunity to share their thoughts and vision for improving the Lit Lab.

“DePaul is my dream school, and I want to major in English, and to have the opportunity to be on this campus really inspired me. I can’t wait to bring some new ideas to the Lit Lab at Sandburg,” said Layan Beirat Junior Lit Lab Tutor.