Navigating the Margins is a writing program that began in 2023 with funding from the It Gets Better Project to launch it's inagural year. The program was created by Danielle DuPuis and Oakland Mills High School student, Ella Heiliger. This program uplifts and supports HCPSS high school students who have an interest in writing. Each year, 25 students are selected for the program and are then paired with an author mentor. The students participate in community building and monthly peer writing activities with the goal of crafting an original story they will publish at the end of the year. Students receive feedback at three different check points during the school year from their author mentor and are also expected to attend the monthly virtual author workshops. Here's a summary of supports that students will receive who are accepted into the program.
All day field trip to the ARL building in October/November to build community with other students in the program and to begin the writing process for their short story, learn expectations for the program, etc.
All accepted students will be added to the Navigating the Margins Canvas Course Community where they will receive updates, have discussions, and track their progress.
Select and be connected with an author mentor who will provide writing feedback on three separate check points.
Participate in peer review sessions in small groups.
Receive monthly instruction from author mentors in a sychronous virtual session.
Have their short story published at the end of the school year in a collection alongside their peers.
While this program is FREE to students accepted into the program, students are expected to participate in the virtual sessions and turn in their pages in a timely manner in order to have their work published in the short story collection.
Navigating the Margins is run a little differently each year based on the student intern and their vision to move the program forward. Student interns over the years are as follows:
2023-24SY - Ella Heiliger, Oakland Mills High School
2024-25SY - Percie Musselman, Howard High School
2025-26SY - Priscilla Kim, Centennial High School
2026-27SY - TBD
