Express Yourself
We are a Community of Writers, Speakers, and Listeners
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What a Difference a day Makes
Self-discovery at KO is fostered by abundant opportunities for self-expression. As students develop their points of view, they also develop the skills necessary to share their unique perspectives.
Every day, KO students practice thinking critically, processing different kinds of information, and expressing themselvesâbeginning on the first day of sixth grade. They write and present across all disciplinesâgradually increasing skill development, complexity of content, and nuance of expression.
On any given day, a KO student might write and/or present:
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A concise conclusion from the collection of scientific data
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A comparison of historical and current events
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An analytical essay arguing an original thesis about a text
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A research paper on a meaningful topic of their choosing
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A creative poem and/or short story
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A persuasive oral argument about a pressing social issue
KO students learn the importance of listening to and appreciating the work of othersâwhether created by their peers or a best-selling author. Critical analysis and workshopping are elemental parts of every assignment.
What a Difference practice and confidence Make
There has been an immense amount of progress from my writing freshman year to now. When I first transitioned to KO, I was focused on standard writing, but now my sentence structure is more complex, and my ideas are more cogent and articulated. I’m confident that I can manage any paper that a college professor assigns.
â Faith, senior
English Curriculum: 9th & 10th Grade Foundations
What a Difference foundations Make
Reading & Writing in Form 3 (9th Grade) : Building Essential Skills
Active Reading Skills
Inquiry
Speaking & Discussion Skills
Thematic Engagement & Expression
Formal, Analytic Writing Skills
Revision & Self-Reflection Skills
Reading & Writing in Form 4 (10th Grade): Building Essential Skills
Active Reading Skills
Inquiry
Speaking & Discussion Skills
Thematic Engagement & Expression
Formal, Analytic Writing Skills
Revision & Self-Reflection Skills
Student-Driven Co-Curricular Extensions
KO News
Student Newspaper
epic
Literary Magazine
thread Magazine
Student-Run Fashion Publication
Forensic Union & Mock Trial
Two of our most active groups on campus continually garner praise and awards. Last spring, our Mock Trial team won first in the state and was co-state champion in 2020. One of our students was named Best Lawyer in the competition. In Forensic Union, two of our students qualified for the International Debate Tournament, placing in second and third in the spring.
WALKS EssayÂ
WALKS is a consortium of five Hartford-area independent schools comprised of Westminster, Avon Old Farms, Loomis Chaffee, Kingswood Oxford, and Suffield Academy, and their Constitutional essay has been an annual event for over 60 years.
Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Contest
KO’s annual poetry contest was endowed by the poet when she visited the school as a Symposium author in 1994.
Model U.N.
KO participates in the Yale Model U.N. and other Model U.N. competitions in the world (Portugal, Poland, Spain, England). Model U.N. features strong writing and public speaking component.
Public Speaking Center
The Public Speaking Center is a transformative resource, expanding far beyond the classroom, aiming to provide students with innovative learning opportunities by supplying positive and constructive feedback. Students partner with experienced mentors, in this case, fellow students who have taken advanced public speaking. The four main goals of the center are to encourage compassionate collaboration, to help supply positive and constructive feedback, to enhance transformative risk-taking, and to provide honest, constructive criticism.
Writing Center
Run by 20 junior and senior peer tutors, the Writing Centerâs goal is to offer writing support that is purposeful while fostering connections among the community around writing. To begin the editing process, a student âinterviewsâ with a peer tutor on his or her writing assignment to set up a game plan so that they engage in the process together. The main goal is to keep the writing session on the student – not âcan you fix this for me?â The peer limits their feedback to the most time-sensitive aspects of the process. The peers consult a collaborative asynchronous discussion doc posted with various scenarios, role-playing what they would do in a given situation to aid them in working with others.