MIDDLE SCHOOL MOMENTS

That Moved Us

Throughout the first quarter, Ms. Nielsen’s middle school students participated in a writing contest hosted by Free the Bird, a nonprofit organization that brings awareness to the importance of mental health wellness. Free The Bird is a youth-led movement dedicated to breaking the stigma and negative attitudes surrounding mental health.

Additionally, Free the Bird was created by one of Pioneer’s very own students, Adnan Alkhalili. Adnan is a senior, but the conception of this organization was long before our writing contest was completed.

In middle school, students at Pioneer Academy work through 3-4 intensive writing units over the course of the academic year. During this process, students brainstorm, prewrite, draft, peer edit, revise, and publish their essays. This process is incredibly labor intensive for both students and teachers, but adding the writing competition prompt to this year’s unit provided our students with much more motivation to breeze through our workshops.

“I am so grateful that Adnan approached me with the idea for this writing contest. I love teaching the writing process. Every year I feel blessed given the opportunity to work alongside my students and watch them grow as structured writers. Although the process is difficult at times, there is nothing better than watching my students work together during various workshops throughout the writing process. I look forward to the moment where I get to watch my students help one another without my guidance as the highest level of understanding is in one’s ability to teach a skill to another person.”

Caitlin Nielsen, English Language Arts Instructor

Ms. Nielsen also said; “Although we started this narrative writing unit like any other in the past, it became something much more – something I never expected. Over the course of seven class periods, my students worked solely on this project in English Language Arts 6-8. From bell to bell, my kids were engaged, challenged, and inspired. I do not think that I can properly explain what this writing competition meant to my students. I watched my kids laugh, cry, and relive moments that brought them joy and pain. I experienced all of these moments right with them. I am honored that my students opened up to me –showing such vulnerability – and the end result was cathartic in so many ways.”

Upon completion of the unit, 15 essays were sent to be reviewed by Dr. Milton Wainberg, a professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University. Dr. Wainberg selected the top 5 essays that best responded to the prompt. Pioneer students gathered in our school auditorium for the awards ceremony and to celebrate the hard work each student gave over the writing process. writing

We are beyond proud of each and every student and hope to make this an annual event at Pioneer Academy.

The of the Free the Bird Summer Conversations Writing Contest:

5th, $50 prize, Joaquín C., Grade 6

4th, $50 prize, Merve Y., Grade 7

3rd, $200 prize, Haylen B., Grade 7

2nd, $300 prize, Nurbanu D., Grade 7

1st, $500 prize, Faysal S., Grade 6

In freshman year Adnan Alkhalili experienced a life changing anxiety attack and its pursuing symptoms. A year later, he came to the realization that speaking out freed him from what felt like an impenetrable cage. He realized that he was not alone, and what’s more, that there was a lack of awareness in his community surrounding mental health. With a group of friends, Free The Bird was born.