Two Park Juniors Place as Finalists in Nation-wide Philosophy Competition
The 2015 National Kids Philosophy Slam challenged students from around the country to answer the question: “Violence or Compassion: Which has a greater impact on society?” A panel of philosophy judges considered entries from high school students throughout the United States. Park junior, Campbell Knobloch, was selected as the third place finalist nationally, and junior, Ross Greenberg, placed fourth nationally! Click here to read Campbell’s essay and here to read Ross’ essay.
Both students are tutors in the Michael Cardin ’85 Writing Center. After training in Writing Practicum (a semester elective), Student Tutors staff and run the writing center. Tutors work with Lower, Middle, or Upper School writers in a variety of settings, including one-on-one conferences and small workshop groups. They attend regular staff meetings to debrief and to discuss and practice their tutoring skills.
About Writing Practicum: Writing Practicum is an intensive writing workshop that also prepares students to teach writing. In the Practicum, students write and revise creative non-fiction — in recent years assignments have included best earth memory, favorite song analysis, satire, New Yorker-style profile, film review, travelogue, and college essay — as well as stories, poems, and A.P.-style persuasive essays. The focus throughout is on the process of writing, and students learn — through reading, discussion, role-playing, and lots of practice — the techniques of effective peer tutoring.
About The National Kids Philosophy Slam: The mission of the National Kids Philosophy Slam is “to give kids a voice and to inspire kids to think by unlocking their intellectual and creative potential through a unique and powerful philosophical forum.” This unique program allows kids to grapple with life’s big issues in an accessible format, as younger students answer philosophical questions through artwork, poetry and music. More info: http://www.philosophyslam.org/
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