A Zama Middle High School student, front, works on an essay while Brian Spivey, rear, an instructional assistant specialist, gives writing tips during a workshop April 27 at ZMHS on Camp Zama, Japan. (Photo by Noriko Kudo)
CAMP ZAMA, Japan – A pair of workshops offered to high school students and their parents here were aimed to help prepare them for the college application process and other post-graduation options.
A writing workshop for students and a post-secondary preparatory class for parents, held simultaneously last month at Zama Middle High School, were offered in partnership with the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, said Natasha Anderson, assistant principal at ZMHS.
In the writing workshop, the students learned tips on how to craft more effective college application essays, including focusing on self-reflection in order to better “sell” themselves. Meanwhile, the parents’ workshop gave them insight into their children’s application process as well as information on commonly used apps, tuition, scholarships, and alternative post-secondary options like joining the military.
Tristin Hatcher, a senior at ZMHS, has already been accepted to a college but said she attended the workshop because she still needs to write essays to apply for scholarships. The information and tips she gained will be very beneficial for her, she said.
“The instructor gave us a lot more advice and taught us more in depth than what we would have learned in a larger classroom setting at school,” Hatcher said. “I learned, among other things, that including my own sensory details in my essays will help the reader [better] understand my position and feelings.”
The things Hatcher learned from the workshop will make writing future essays easier, and she would recommend other juniors and seniors attend it because of how beneficial it can be for them.
Brian Spivey, an instructional assistant specialist for English Language Arts at the district office at Yokota Air Base, said he wanted to give the students at the workshop some organizational tools that would help them look inward when writing their essays. Doing that allows them to home in on their own strengths and characteristics and helps them paint a picture of themselves that goes beyond their academic background and test scores.
“They were committed to this,” Spivey said of the students. “It was refreshing to see them brainstorming, taking notes, and focusing on their writing in a quiet space.”
“The event went very well,” said Anderson. “Both events were well received by parents and by students.”
Feedback from the students and parents was very positive, Anderson said. The students said they hope the workshops can be held twice during the school year — once in the fall and spring — and that they will encourage their classmates to attend them in the future.
“Everyone left with valuable information,” Anderson said. “The parents and the students left very hungry for more knowledge.”
