Pantherbeat Feature: Opposites attract: Writing Lab

By Celia Allen '24

When Laura Mangelsdorf ‘24 was assigned to write a precis, or a summary of the main points of a text, in AP Language, she was completely lost.

“I had never written one before, and had no idea where to start,” exclaimed Laura!

However, instead of winging it, Laura chose to seek help from a teacher, and what better place to do that than the Parish Writing Lab?

Laura recalled, “I remember walking into the writing lab and seeing multiple other students asking for help. After waiting a few minutes, I was at Mr. Mazzella’s desk and creating an outline of my work with him. [It helped by] making the writing process easier, and also allowing me to create and learn an outline structure I could refer to at any point of my writing career.”

The Parish Writing Lab, found on the 4th floor of the Midway campus, is a place for students struggling with writing assignments to receive help.

“It’s a great environment, because I can go in and work quietly on what I need to work on, then go next door to Mr. Mazzella’s office for help on anything,” said Gigi Enrico ‘24.

The Writing Lab isn’t limited to essays. Ivie Mehary ‘24 came when she needed help creating a presentation about her charity organization for chapel.

“For my homily, I tried to do a little bit when I could so it wouldn't be too stressful when the time came for it to be done; however, that didn't work out so well,” admitted Ivie. “Leading up to the time, Mr. Mazzella helped figure out what to say and when to say it, helping me organize which slides would say what. [For instance], slide one would be the introduction and I would add a few pics and a brief overview, slide two would talk about how I began the project, and so on and so on. When the time to present came closer, Mr. Mazzella looked at my script and helped me weed out unimportant and uninteresting info. He also helped me create my actual slide show in a way that would best keep everyone interested.”

Easton Charles ‘23 said, “I mainly [go] to the Writing Lab for AGS. I need lots of help with my papers, [and] I’ve noticed an improvement in my writing since going to the Writing Lab. [It’s] increased my grade in my classes.”

The Writing Lab is also used as a quiet place by students, who prefer it to the library or other quiet spaces in the School. During most of the day, there are students inside, working with teachers on essays, or just working by themselves. Even when there are no students, there is always a teacher monitoring it in case a student comes in needing assistance.

The director of the Writing Lab, Jason Mazzella, is an 18-year Parish English department veteran. Almost every student who visits the Writing Lab for assistance has had his help, and many cite him as a major contributor to improving their writing skills.

Due to the help provided in the Writing Lab, Ivie was able to confidently present her homily, and it was a success among the Upper School.