National Writing Day Ignites Student Creativity

This past Monday, October 20th, marked National Writing Day! For the occasion, the District hosted "Ignite to Write," a celebration in alignment with the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan. In honor of the day, students across all grade levels joined a writing competition based on the prompt: "Why is Elmwood Park a great place to live?" 

The "Ignite to Write" hype team—including Instructional Specialists and other District staff—also came to classrooms to pass out prizes while rocking pencil party hats. Their energy kept the day's momentum going and was a fun surprise for students! Special thanks go to Jamie Kanas, Darek Naglak, and Cami Breitzman for planning these activities.

In addition to the writing contest and the festive prizes, each school had interesting exercises planned. The kids were so excited to be involved and have their voices heard. 4th grade students gathered in Elmwood Elementary’s cafeteria for a variety of writing prompts. They did an outstanding job putting their thinking caps on and delivering some fresh ideas!

Another highlight took place at Elm Middle School in Ms. Fuentes’ 7th grade accelerated ELA class. Students participated in a suspense-themed writing competition. Remembering how much fun the event was last year, students cheered once the exercise was announced! Using “We Will Write,” a social writing game centered on collaboration, creativity, and peer support, students were prompted with a topic and wrote short pieces. Once time ran out, their classmates then voted on which was best. With the class divided into four teams, competitive energy naturally emerged. The room immediately lit up, and it was thrilling to see students so engaged.

Here in Elmwood Park, we’re committed to providing our students with the best learning experience possible. Our goal is to help them become confident writers who can communicate clearly, creatively, and effectively. With the kids so excited about writing, the day was a good reminder of how much fun learning can be when curiosity and creativity are at the center of the classroom.

Check out some of the best parts of the day in our SmugMug Photo Galleries below.

John Mills Elementary

Elmwood Elementary

Elm Middle School