Young writers

Polishing up on their writing skills are, from left, H.G. Olsen Elementary School fourth graders A.J. Hernandez, Kaci Fugate and Hayden Williams on Monday, Sept. 27, at the school district administration building. All of the school’s fourth graders were taking part in a “writing camp” conducted by The Writing Academy, an educational consulting firm from Kemah. The workshop, conducted in two roughly two-hour segments, used hands-on activities and song and dance to help students “get excited about the writing process, writing well-developed paragraphs, rather than just listing,” said Dena May, the writing consultant who ran the sessions. The consultant will do two more writing camps with the fourth graders between now and February. The camps are being funded by grants totaling about $5,700, provided by the Port Aransas Education Foundation. Clare Adams, who teaches writing for both of the school’s fourth-grade classes, wrote the request for the grants. STAFF PHOTO BY DAN PARKER