On May 4, all sophomores at Brother Martin took their culminating assignment of the Sophomore Writing Project. Throughout the year, sophomores have been learning how to craft an argumentative essay. Each sophomore has 40 minutes to write an essay on one of two possible prompts. On May 8 and 9, the Brother Martin English faculty scored the essays. The essays are scored on a scale from “1” to “4” based on a rubric determined by the English faculty, with a score of “3” qualifying as proficient. The end goal of the Sophomore Writing Project is to ensure that all sophomores advance with competent writing skills necessary for success during their junior and senior years here at Brother Martin, and later at the university level. This year, a dramatic increase in the number of “3” and “4” essays speaks to the extraordinary teaching of our sophomore English teachers: Mr. Joseph Barnitz ’ 02, Mr. JP Pierre, and Ms. Susan Benedetto, as well as the leadership of Mr. Tom Leggett, English Department Chair, and Mr. Dean Songy, the project’s director.
