LaurenHill Holds Student Book Launch

"Most of us wrote about what we felt, what we thought, where we're from, and who we are," said Katie Sinare, a member of the editorial team. "It was an awesome experience because we all listened and shared our pieces. We learned to communicate and express ourselves better with others."

Andrew Adams, the Grade 8 English teacher at the junior campus who guided the project, explained that all the students "stepped up" and "took ownership of the English language" by manipulating it in the way they wanted. By also editing texts, taking photos, designing the pages often in uniquely creative ways and putting it altogether, they also showed off the multiple skills that's one of the key elements of the curriculum reform, he added.

The editing team also had to decide which texts to put in the book. With over 100 students in Adams' four English classes, only 58 could be chosen for the anthology. Each participants, however, was given a free copy and another copy will be put in the school library for other students to read.

Black-and-white copies can be bought for $10 while colour ones are $40. "The market is more for teachers in terms of seeing it as a new style of writing, and a new way of developing ideas and thinking with their students," Adams said.

For her part, EMSB regional director Angeline Roumeliotis said she was "astounded at the level of maturity and I can only guess at the growth process that has taken place from the beginning of your experience to the culmination of this wonderful piece of work."