frequently asked questions

What is Power of the Pen?
Power of the Pen is a non-profi t educational organization. Its home offi ce is in Richfi eld, Ohio—in the Akron/Cleveland corridor of northeast Ohio. The program was founded in 1987 by Lorraine B. Merrill, then a middle school teacher of language arts, who was subsequently designated as a Christa McAuliffe Fellow and a recipient of an Ohio Teacher of the Year award. The program was incorporated in 1989 as a 501(c)3. Its Board of Trustees includes distinguished representatives from business, industry, the professions, the media, and the fi eld of education.

What is the cost for a school to enroll?
In the current school year (2006-2007), a school pays $325 for the enrollment of both the Seventh and Eighth Grade levels, and $250 for the enrollment of a single (either) grade level. This fee covers participation in both District and Regional events. It does not cover State fees, because it is not known at the outset of the season which schools will qualify for State. If a school wishes to use Power of the Pen’s copyrighted materials in the classroom but not participate in competitive tournament season, the cost for Membership-Only is $75.

What does Power of the Pen do?
Power of the Pen is committed to improving the teaching and mastery of writing skills at the Middle School level (7th and 8th grades). It does this through a three-track program. First, Power of the Pen is a conduit for the dissemination of information and materials within the educational community that contribute to more effective application of classroom resources to the teaching of writing. Second, it publishes student work that (a) provides appropriate, and meaningful recognition for student efforts of exceptional interest; and (b) serves as exemplars—as “models of excellence”—crafted by writers within the student audience’s peer group. The third track is perhaps the most distinctive part of the program: Power of the Pen encourages the formation of academic writing teams at the Middle School level that compete in Statewide interscholastic writing tournaments.

What other services does it offer?
When funding is available, Power of the Pen provides fi ve- to six- hour workshops which not only better prepare teachers for holistic evaluation but also provide intervention strategies for common writing weaknesses at the middle school level. Power of the Pen acts as a liaison between teachers so that veteran schools can share their experiences and expertise with schools in search of good approaches to the art of written expression.

Do others find that it works?
There are now a little over 1,800 schools—public, private, parochial, and special—in the State of Ohio which offer a 7th grade and/or an 8th grade course of instruction in language Arts (English). Of these, 500 are enrolled in Power of the Pen.

What are the essential features of these interscholastic writing tournaments? INTERSCHOLASTIC COMPETITION: Using many features which make interscholastic athletics so appealing among young students, Power of the Pen takes what is normally regarded as a private activity—writing—and turns it into a competitive team effort. In so doing, it shares many things in common with track, tennis and wrestling.