Phoebus students participate in a Zoom with New York Times bestselling author

Phoebus High School students involved in The Origin Project participated in a Zoom workshop on December 16, 2020, with bestselling author Adriana Trigiani. Students in Margaret Dee and Kemi Leyeni's English classes shared original pieces of writing, and listened as Trigiani offered feedback and shared information about her own writing process. Other special guests included Linda Woodward, Nancy Bolmeier-Fisher, and Rhonda Carper from the Origin Project.

The Origin Project, co-founded by Trigiani and Bolmeier-Fisher (Executive Director), seeks to inspire students to find their voices through the craft of writing about their roots. The program began in 2014 with 40 students, and now serves over 1600 in 17 schools. Each student is provided with a writing journal at the beginning of the school year. Their final writing projects are published at the end of the school year in an anthology. This is Phoebus' second year participating in the project. 

HCS superintendent, Jeffery Smith; Division Leadership Team members Ann Bane and Kellie Goral; as well as Dr. Kelli Cedo, Jennifer Butler, Executive Principal James Harris, and Academy Principal Patrice Williams were also in attendance and had the opportunity to listen as students shared their short stories and poems.  

In regard to the Zoom experience, Dee shares, “I am so proud of our students for sharing their work and asking insightful questions. Adriana's feedback and her writing pointers were fantastic.”

Adriana Trigiani is the New York Times bestselling author of eighteen books in fiction and nonfiction. She has been published in 38 countries around the world. The New York Times calls her “a comedy writer with a heart of gold”. She is an award-winning playwright, television writer and producer, and filmmaker.