Oakdale High School’s Creative Writing Club takes place in room A208 during SET each Friday. Ms. Showalter, an English teacher at Oakdale, as well as her student co-leaders invite all writers to join. 

This club has a relaxed environment, one that is not about instruction, but participation. Showalter explains, “The club has almost 50 members currently enrolled. It is for anyone who enjoys writing anything creative- nonfiction, fiction, or poetry.” She continues to clarify that it offers an opportunity “even for people who enjoy reading creative writing,” and that “it is open to all grade levels.” 

Megan Schulien, one of the student co-leaders of the club, describes the atmosphere of the class. “It’s very fun. It’s very weird. I feel like you have to have an ounce of craziness,” she raves.

Schulien tells how the club is more than just a bunch of high school students, but a family: “You grow so many inside jokes. You get all of these experiences and all of these friends that you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.” 

As co-leaders, Schulien and Christian Due plan activities for the class. Writing prompts, games, and projects are all organized for the club’s members. Due explains one project they are currently working on, “We are building a character with a background story, family life, and interests. We are going to start a story with the character and we are gonna pass it around the club. Everybody is going to add a page or a paragraph. It is going to contribute to the character’s life. We are going to see how far the character goes.”  

The Creative Writing Club also provides students with opportunities to enter their stories and poetry in contests. For those craving a more structured learning time, the Creative Writing Class offers lessons in types of fiction and forms of poetry.

Overall, the club allows students to gain confidence, participating in peer feedback is inspiring for one’s own work. Being in the club means creating unforgettable experiences. To get more information, visit Ms. Showalter’s classroom at A208.