Washington School for Girls
Many students make it through middle school without learning public speaking, persuasive writing, and the etiquette of professional interactions. And yet, students are expected to put these skills into practice as they apply to high schools. Because the vast majority of our students at the Washington School for Girls apply to Catholic or other faith-based independent schools for high school, it is important that they know how to present themselves authentically.
We make sure students can develop these skills in low-stakes environments before it “counts.” Recently, our 8th graders worked with volunteers to strengthen their personal essays and practice their interviewing skills during special sessions supplementing the High School Preparation class. By working with volunteers, including non-teaching staff, Board members, and other community members, students had experiences that were more reflective of real-life scenarios than practicing with their peers and teachers who already know them so well.
Each student shared her essay with a volunteer, who offered their perspective on what they learned about the student from the essay. They then worked together to emphasize the students strengths and how they would contribute to the particular high school they were applying to. In a later session, each student was paired with a different volunteer for a mock interview modeled after a high school interview. Students worked through their nerves and got honest feedback about how they presented themselves. The outcome? Students learned to receive constructive feedback, how to write compellingly about themselves, and developed confidence talking to professional adults before they jumped into the application process.
