SATurday: Quixtoic

Quixtoic

(adj.) idealistic, impractical

Ex. Edward entertained a quixotic desire to fall in love at first sight in a laundromat.

SATurday: Hiemal

Hiemal

(adj.) Of or relating to winter.

Ex. Asma was enjoying the hiemal weather of December.

RESCHEDULE

Due to the snow days, the WWC Christmas party has been rescheduled to next Wednesday, December 18th. Don't miss it!

BY THE WAY, PUN OF THE DAY:
I told the doctor I slipped on his front step, and he said, 'Icy.'

SATurday: Cacophony

Hey everyone! This is our first SATURDAY  post, brought to you in order to help prepare you for the SATs one word at a time!



                                                                 Cacophony
                                     (n.) tremendous noise, disharmonious sound.
                   Ex. The elementary school orchestra created a cacophony at the recital.

Faculty Meeting Presentation & Christmas Party

On December 4th, we had a team of tutors represent the Wildcat Writing Center at the monthly faculty meeting. The purpose of the presentation was to show teachers how peer tutoring can transform the learning environment of students.

The presentation went really well and we thank the teachers for their participation!

WWC presenters Jemma Stratton, Catherine Weidmann, and Katie Kowalski

ALSO COMING UP:
Next Thursday, the Writing Center is having a Christmas party here in room 202! Make sure you stop by for snacks, games, and fun!





By the way, pun of the day!
But isn't he afraid he'll get stuck? Yes, he gets Santa Claus-trophobic.

First Quarter Stats for the WWC

As first quarter came to an end, our Statistics Manager, Shruthi put together some data to show the variety of assignments and classes that had come to the Wildcat Writing Center.
Considering that we had only been open for two weeks, we are very proud of all of our tutors.

By the way, here's your fun pun of the day #9:
"Do you like statisticians?"
"Probably."

By The Way, Here's the Fun Pun of the Day #8

If you're in Mr. Macintosh's 9th grade English classes, don't forget to stop by the Wildcat Writing Center to come get help with any stage of your Greek God/Goddess Project.

Here's your fun pun of the day:
Who was the Greek God of Animals?
Zoos!

Teacher Breakfast

Last Friday, the Wildcat Writing Center hosted a breakfast for teachers to come in and get some information about the Wildcat Writing Center.

Here are some photos!

 

 

By the way, here's your pun of the day #7:



What kind of nut thinks money is disgusting?
A cashew!

1st Quarter Raffle Winner

Congratulations to Jessie Williams in Mrs. Sweeny's 7th period for winning the Wildcat Writing Center's 1st quarter raffle prize! Come to the Wildcat Writing Center during the 2nd quarter to be entered to win the next raffle.

We're open every day during PLUS, every lunch Wednesday/Thursday/Friday, and after school on Mondays and Wednesdays in room 202.

By the way, pun of the day #6:
Why are horses so happy? They live a stable life!

Pun of the Day #5

What Animal Would You Be?

Ever wonder what animal you would be and why? Well, so did we! We decided to ask all our WWC tutors what animal they would like to be and here are some of the highlights of their answers:

"If I could be any animal, I would be a bee. But not just any ordinary worker drone, I'd bee queen. As the queen, I would have thousands of obedient subjects under my command. Life would be sweet (as honey)." 
-Michelle Nguyen, pd.6

"I would be a polar bear instead of a human any day of the week.  Polar bears do nothing but eat and sleep all day, and do not have any responsibilities whatsoever." 
-Alex Aguilera, pd.6
 
"I would be a pegasus. Let's be real, they are majestic, winged horses that can fly...Also, by being a pegasus, that would mean I would live in a fantastical world filed with magic."
-Katie Kowalski, pd.5

"I think I'm going to have to go with all my time favorite animal, a monkey. They're just so cute and seem to have fun all of the time...Plus, they're basically like humans, only better!!!!"

-Haley Moore, pd.5

 Some other animals that were mentioned were: Cat, Panda, Dolphin, Tiger, Puppy, Chameleon, Sloth, Hippo, Giraffe, Ocelot, Koala, and Frog. Wow! What a zoo!   



BY THE WAY, PUN OF THE DAY #4:

If you want to become Dracula, you must demon strate a count ability.

Wildcat Writing Center Opening Party!

Yesterday during all lunches the Writing Center was celebrating the opening of the Wildcat Writing Center for this school year. We had pizza, beverages and an assortment of desserts.

Here are some photos of our fun party:

 

Don't forget that the Wildcat Writing Center is open every during PLUS in the silver lab (room 207), during lunches Wednesday-Friday in room 202, and after school on Mondays and Wednesday in room 202. 

BY THE WAY, PUN OF THE DAY #3:

What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary?

 A thesaurus!

Pun of the Day #2

A rule of grammar: doublenegatives are a no-no.

Pun of the Day #1

To write with a broken pencil is pointless.

Come to the Writing Center Kick Off Party!

Starting October 21st, come to room #202  during all lunches Wednesdays through Fridays to get some quality tutoring from our very own Wildcat Writing Center!
Also coming up next Thursday (10/24), the WWC is having a Kick Off Party during 5th period, so stop by during one of your lunches for games, food, and fun!

This year you can visit the Wildcat Writing Center everyday during PLUS in the Silver Lab (Room 207), during all lunches in room 202 and after school on Mondays and Wednesdays, also in Room 202.

By the way, here's your pun of the day:
It looks like a punderstorm is coming this week in the Writing Center!

2013 Secondary School Writing Center Conference!

Last Friday, our very own Wildcat Writing Center sent a group of tutors to represent Centreville at the 3rd Annual SSWC Conference at George Mason University.

This year, the theme was transformation and our tutors got the chance to learn just how other Writing Centers in this area had grown while sharing our own Writing Center's story as well.

What's even more exciting is that we had 3 groups of student presenters from Centreville who gave presentations about a variety of subjects such as the impact of tutors on the learning experience of a student and Tutor Session Icebreakers 101.

It is important, whenever participating in a program like this, to inquire and investigate how others with similar programs operate as well as learning new techniques and systems to help make our own run smoother. The information gathered by our WWC tutors will definitely help build a stronger Writing Center and we are all excited to put it all to use!



Here are some pictures from our trip!

Look at all those writers!

After lunch silliness

Check in with the group!

Presenters - Jemma, Catherine, and Katie

What we'd do with $1,000,000

This week's poll got a lot of fun responses - what would you do?

-travel
-car
-a house
-food
-lifetime supply of gummy candies
-ownsership of the TV show "Supernatural"
-a piece of artwork
-give it to family
-open up a bakery
-college tuition
-personal library
-underground tunnels connecting friends' houses
-an amusement park
-wells for third world countries
-a hippo
-a replica of Hogwarts
-prosthetic elbow with lasers

Senior Spotlight

Jamie Schoshinski

This is her first year of tutoring in the writing center.

 

Favorites:

Color: Pale yellow

Artist/Band: Panic! at the Disco, Walk the Moon, Darren Criss, Matt Maltese

Actor and Actress: Robert Downey Jr., David Tennant, Anne Hathaway, Chris Colfer

Movie: Life is Beautiful, Titanic, Mean Girls, Cabin in the Woods

Book: The Fault in Our Stars, Harry Potter, Uglies

Planet: Pluto

Animal: Ostrich

Clothing Store: Uh, internet

Olympic Sport (Summer and Winter): Gymnastics

Subject: English

Questions:

1. What college will you be attending (or hoping to attend)?

Temple University!!!

2. What are you planning to study/major in?

Psychology??? Speech Pathology??? No idea :/

3. What are you most looking forward to about college?

Freedom! And meeting new people

4. What will you miss most about high school?

My friends and the safety and comfort in my life right now

5. How has being a WWC tutor affected your own writing?

Now I realize how important it is to have a defined thesis right at the beginning that you base the rest of your paper around

6. If you were an ice cream, what flavor would you be and why?

Astronaut ice cream because it's totally gross and no one would ever eat me

7. If you could be best friends with any celebrity who would it be and why?
John Green because he's so talented and intelligent and kind and we could write together

Senior Spotlight

Andy Fang

This is his first year of tutoring in the writing center.

Favorites:

Color: Orange or Yellow

Artist/Band: Any Underground RnB Artist

Actor and Actress: Chris Tucker, Will Smith, Samuel L Jackson, Eddie Murphy, any other 

African American Actor

Movie: I Am Sam, Rush Hour 2, Disney Classics

Book: Bible

Planet: The Earth (it's flat, not round guys; trust me I know)

Animal: Chow Chow

Clothing Store: H&M

Olympic Sport (Summer and Winter): Table Tennis and Short Track Speed Ice Skating

Subject: Leadership Training/Student Government Association

Questions:

1. What college will you be attending (or hoping to attend)? 

The University of Virginia 

"HOOS"

2. What are you planning to study/major in? 

Biosciences

3. What are you most looking forward to about college? 

The learning experience because obviously that's what I'm all about. . . Obviously. . .

4. What will you miss most about high school? 

The forever beautiful and lovely Ms. Hughes

5. How has being a WWC tutor affected your own writing? 

It's made me a better person, and I know how to make myself look better on paper than reality

6. If you were an ice cream, what flavor would you be and why? 

Vanilla and Chocolate because I'm not racist

7. If you could be best friends with any celebrity who would it be and why? 

Jesus and Sydney Dolan

Senior Spotlight

Labibah Tehreem

This is her second year of tutoring in the writing center.

Favorites:

Color: Purple

 

Artist/Band: The Fugees

 

Actor and Actress: Actor- Matthew Perry; Actress- Julie Andrews

 

Movie: A Walk to Remember

 

Book: The Outsiders

 

Planet: Mars

 

Animal: Tiger

 

Clothing Store: Urban Outfitters

 

Olympic Sport (Summer and Winter): Summer- swimming; Winter- Skating

 

Subject: English

 

 

Questions:

 

1. What college will you be attending (or hoping to attend)?

Virginia Commonwealth University

 

2. What are you planning to study/major in?

Biology...as of right now

 

3. What are you most looking forward to about college?

Starting a new life with new people

 

4. What will you miss most about high school?

My friends

 

5. How has being a WWC tutor affected your own writing?

By tutoring others I have become more conscious towards errors I didn't used to realize in my own work but now do.

 

6. If you were an ice cream, what flavor would you be and why?

I would be vanilla ice cream because basically anything can be added to vanilla and it will still taste good. I am pretty good at adjusting to random circumstances and changes and I love to be spontaneous and original with whatever I do.

 

7. If you could be best friends with any celebrity who would it be and why?

I would be best friends with Matthew Perry because he would never fail to give me a good laugh (if his personality is the same in real life as it is on the show Friends).

Senior Spotlight

Janice Yu
This is her second year of tutoring.

Favorites

Color: Light blue

Artist/Band: Lenka

Actor and Actress: Joseph Gordan Levitt and Anne Hathaway

Movie: Les Miserables

Book: Thirteen Reasons Why

Planet: Earth

Animal: Dogs

Clothing Store: Forever 21

Olympic Sport (Summer and Winter): Summer: swimming. Winter: Ice Skating

Subject: Math

Questions

1. What college will you be attending (or hoping to attend)?
NOVA

2. What are you planning to study/major in?
Communications

3. What are you most looking forward to about college?
Getting an in depth education in something that I'm interested in

4. What will you miss most about high school?
My friends

5. How has being a WWC tutor affected your own writing?
It made me more aware of my mistakes, and it made writing in general much easier because I know what I look for when I am looking at a paper as a tutor.

6. If you were an ice cream, what flavor would you be and why?
Mint Chocolate Ice cream, because it's my favorite flavor!!

7. If you could be best friends with any celebrity who would it be and why?
Ryan Secrest, because he knows so many other celebrities! And he'd be fun to talk to; I'd never be bored!

Senior Spotlight

Anna Rhodes

This is her first year tutoring in the Writing Center.

Favorites:

Color: Purple

Artist/Band: My Darkest Days, Art of Dying, Halestorm, Hinder, Hollywood Undead, Linkin Park, etc.

Actor and Actress: None

Movie: Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen

Book: 172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad

Planet: Earth

Animal: Dogs

Clothing Store: Aeropostale

Olympic Sport (Summer and Winter): None

Subject: English

Questions:

1. What college will you be attending (or hoping to attend)?

George Mason University

2. What are you planning to study/major in?

Undecided

3. What are you most looking forward to about college?

Meeting new people.

4. What will you miss most about high school?

The familiarity of everything.

5. How has being a WWC tutor affected your own writing?

It has made me more critical of it, but more open to suggestions from others.

6. If you were an ice cream, what flavor would you be and why?

Any flavor, because I don't eat ice cream, and I wouldn't want to eat myself.

7. If you could be best friends with any celebrity who would it be and why?

Anybody in any of the bands that I love, because they inspire me and I love their music.

Senior Spotlight

Aleksey Ermolaev

This is his first year of tutoring in the Writing Center.

Favorites:

Color: Teal

Artist/Band: Evanescence, Foo Fighters, Train

Actor and Actress: Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, Leonardo DiCaprio / Gray DeLise, Jennifer Hale

Movie: Shrek, Lord of the Rings

Book: The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King

Planet: Neptune

Animal: JELLYFISH.

Clothing Store: The Internet.

Olympic Sport (Summer and Winter): Volleyball, because I can actually understand what's going on

Subject: Computer Science; if electives don't count, then History

Questions

1. What college will you be attending (or hoping to attend)?

UVa

2. What are you planning to study/major in?

Computer Science

3. What are you most looking forward to about college?

Waking up for classes at 9:00AM

4. What will you miss most about high school?

All of my familiar faces, and the insanity that is It's Academic

5. How has being a WWC tutor affected your own writing?

I've really honed my organizational skills so that I can now throw down a thesis and paragraph intros in a few minutes.

6. If you were an ice cream, what flavor would you be and why?

Cookie Dough, so that I could eat myself whenever I wanted and not feel bad about it.

7. If you could be best friends with any celebrity who would it be and why?

Nicholas Cage. The level to which I would be able to mess with people would be just too good to pass up.

Senior Spotlight

Thomas Le

This is his second year of tutoring at the Writing Center.

 

Favorites

Color: Black, white, blue, and rainbow

Artist/Band: A healthy mixture of trashy pop music - Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, etc.

Actor and Actress: Leonardo Di'Caprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Carey Mulligan

Movie: An Education, Titanic, Jane Eyre

Book: Too many to list... To Kill a Mockingbird, The Mortal Instruments series, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, East of Eden, the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, The Help, etc.

Planet: Earth!

Animal: Flamingo

Clothing Store: The William and Mary bookstore

Olympic Sport (Summer and Winter): Tennis

Subject: English and Psychology

Questions

1. What college will you be attending (or hoping to attend)?

William and Mary - Tribe Pride!

2. What are you planning to study/major in?

English/Psychology/Creative Writing/Education

3. What are you most looking forward to about college?

Freedom in all forms, especially the ability to explore intellectual areas of inquiry I have never experienced before

4. What will you miss most about high school?

Seher Raza

5. How has being a WWC tutor affected your own writing?

It has ameliorated my writing by large amounts; I've been able to reevaluate my writing process through helping others with their writing. I've been surrounded with a fantastic support system of writers and tutors, and tutoring has introduced me to types of writing I have never seen before.

6. If you were an ice cream, what flavor would you be and why?

Cookies & Cream mixed with Fudge mixed with Cookie Dough mixed with love topped with rainbow sprinkles

7. If you could be best friends with any celebrity who would it be and why?

 Nonliving celebrities would include Harvey Milk and Rosa Parks, as they were both instrumental to the expansion of human rights and were people I would genuinely like to know. Living celebrities would include Harper Lee and Jodi Picoult as they are two of my favorite writers and I would love to discuss literature with them.