CT Writing Project (CWP) Leadership Council Meeting Notes

Stern Lounge (Room 217), CLASBuilding, UConn

November 6, 2008

In attendance: Jason Courtmanche, Jane Cook, Nadine Keane, Angela Joslin, Michelle Hacker, Kim Roberts,Jenny Shaff Jepsen, Jessica Orf Gillespie, Regan Bertolette-Rowley, Denise Abercrombie, Kelly Andrews-Babcock, Alex Rode

  1. Budget updates: CWP lost $12,000 but so far look OK for the rest of the year and hopefully next year. Governor Rell cannot cut any more using executive authority, but now must go to the legislature if she wants more funding cuts.
  2. Internship: Jason has requested and received a writing intern for the CWP, who will begin this spring. This internship position will be responsible for publications—notably reviving the CWP newsletter, expanding the SI chapbook, and publishing student and teacher scholarship biennially.
  3. National Writing Project (NWP) Annual Meeting. CWP will be involved in two panels at the upcoming NWP Annual Meeting in San Antonio. We’ll have 7 representatives in attendance: Jason, Jane, Denise, Nadine, Mary, Katrina and Nick from Central.
  4. New England Association of Teachers of English (NEATE) Annual Conference: Jane and Jason had a successful presentationon October 24, 2008 entitled If You Build It They Will Come: Building a Web Presence. Feedback was positive and the conference coordinator has invited them to present it again in Providence next fall.
  5. CFA (Continued Funding Application). Data for the NWP grant proposal can begin being entered electronically on December 1, 2008. Our next Leadership Council meeting will be devoted to discussing what we need from each of you, and in what form. Jane will talk a bit about grant writing, and Jason will share last year’s report. If you’ve got a wireless laptop, bring it with you to this meeting.
  6. Student and Teacher Writing Conference. Ken Cormier has agreed to be our Keynote speaker on May 20, 2009. We are beginning to receive proposals but need more workshop presenters. If you are interested in presenting, or know anyone who is, please go to the CWP Website for further information at: The brochure is in process and will go out soon.
  7. CWP Summer Institute: Fourteen recommendations rolled over from last year. In addition, we have already received 13 new recommendations. This is the 22nd year of Aetna funding. We’re grateful for their support but have not had an increase in funding during that time even though tuition costs and other expenses have gone up dramatically. Without additional funding, we cannot support more than 12 participants in the SI.
  8. ConnecticutStudent Writers Magazine: We have our speaker, Robert Kimball Moulton, for the CSW Recognition Night on May 12, 2009. Flyers have gone out. Please encourage teachers to submit their students’ work by 1/23/09. For more information, go to:
  9. Bolton College and Career Fair Presentation: Jason presented at the Bolton College and Career Fair in October. It turned out to be an interesting day. Two and perhaps three teachers have expressed interest in the summer institute, and Bolton is interested in a CWP-UConnWritingCenter collaboration for next year.
  10. Presenter Needed: Early College Experience (ECE) program wants a CWP presenter for April 3. Jason will be at the NWP Spring meeting in DC. Jason asked Nadine and Jenny to do the presentation.
  11. Collaborating with Creative Writing Program: Ellen Litman, UConn Assistant Professor & Associate Director of the Creative Writing Program, read and helped select contest winners for the CWP TC Writing Contest. Long River Review tour went to some CWP high schools. Grad Assistant Director Jennifer Holley is going to Tracy Mercier’s 3rd grade classroom.
  12. CWP Web Presence Expanding: The Facebook SI alumni group has over 20 members. Jason’s Wikispace blog ( is going fairly well. Jason has created a TeacherTube account so we can begin posting video podcasts and embed widgets on the CWP website. Further redesign of the CWP Website is pending with the Web Dev folks, who are waitingon the design centerfora redesigned logo. Online program registration is beginning to take hold.
  13. State Network grant awarded to CWP3--$3000, Professional Writing Retreat to be held tentatively June 24-27, maybe at Wisdom House. Need a facilitator (to be paid) and five participants. CWP will try to defray cost. Participants will be working on writing that they could submit to a professional journal. NWP wants scholarship/academic writing to come out of this retreat. Social justice is one of their interests as well as working with urban districts. They are interested in theory into practice articles.
  14. PD Update: We’ve got lots of PD contracts. They are mostly going well. Jason recently presented in Shelton and will be going back in March.
  15. Avery Point Saturday Seminars: We have begun offering Saturday Seminars in other locations including the UConnAveryPoint campus. These went well though they could have been better attended; however, attendance was commensurate with Storrs Saturday Seminars.
  16. New England Writing Project (NEWP) Update: NEWP will be hosting a conference in March in Northampton. CWP will be the host of this event in 2010. Jason would like participants who can attend with the thought of getting ideas for hosting next year. As soon as Jason knows the date, he’ll put it out on the CWP LISTSERV and Jane will post it on the CWP Web site.

CWP Leadership Council minutes from 11/6/08 – Page 1