OHS Teacher Awarded by International Writing Centers Association
November 14, 2017...Osbourn High School English teacher Trisha Callihan has been awarded the 2017 International Writing Centers Association (IWCA) President’s Future Leaders Scholarship for her work with the school's writing center. She is one of only four leaders nationwide who received the award.
Under Mrs. Callihan's leadership, the Eagle Writing Center is in its third year with two full class periods to use for instruction and planning. The student–run center provides a non-threatening workspace where Osbourn students can be paired with a trained student tutor for the purpose of improving the student clients’ particular writing. Using the Capital Area Peer Tutoring Association/ Northern Virginia Writing Project’s model, the writing center's student tutors evaluate and administer the appropriate help for their peers on a case-by-case basis.
In the Eagle Writing Center this fall, student tutors are engaged in ongoing training, reflecting and developing their own writing skills and strategies, and developing their leadership skills. Mrs. Callihan and the Eagle Writing Center staff are committed to helping students of all abilities improve their overall writing skills for assignments across all disciplines.
For the fourth consecutive year, the IWCA has offered the award to those who have demonstrated strong leadership at their centers. Mrs. Callihan was awarded $250 and attended lunch with IWCA Executive Officers during the 2017 IWCA conference in Pittsburgh. Additionally, Mrs. Callihan was recognized by the School Board of the City of Manassas at its December 12th meeting (pictured below).