The beginning of the school year brings many writing assignments to students. College essays, practice AP essays, and other writing assignments are a part of high school. Many students struggle with these assignments, and the National English Honor Society has created a new event in order to assist students with these assignments. That event is NEHS Mondays.

During this weekly event, NEHS members conduct a writing workshop. NEHS members offer assistance with any piece of writing a student is struggling with, from college essays to midterm papers. Members critique a fellow student’s grammar, spelling, and overall effectiveness. As students are working on their essays and writing for days and weeks at a time, it is often helpful for a fresh pair of eyes to review their work, catching errors that went unnoticed previously. Having a fellow student review your work is also sometimes less stressful and more comfortable than having a teacher read often personal essays. This new event was created to provide extra writing help that students wouldn’t normally get.

This event will run all year, so the writing workshop is not just for college essays. NEHS Mondays is a chance for students to receive yearlong writing help.

“It’s been really helpful with the essays you have to do for college,” Brooke Overmire (‘20) said. Many early admission deadlines are in October and early November, which gives a short period of time a student can receive in school help. This event provides extra time for perfecting college essays. Other students also may have first-hand experience about what to look for in a college essay or an academic assignment, providing invaluable help to fellow students.

During NEHS Mondays students can also play Scrabble. Members can invite friends to play or non-members can sign up themselves.

“It’s bringing a lot of new members to NEHS. I think playing Scrabble definitely improves literacy, which is important,” an officer of NEHS, Mary Beth Bauermann (20) said. Along with attracting new students to NEHS, playing a fun game of Scrabble with friends provides a break from the school day, while helping to improve spelling. After decompressing for an hour playing scrabble, it’s much easier to begin to focus again in your afternoon classes.

Scrabble has been shown to improve literacy in students. There is a direct correlation in test scores in students that read daily, and Baltimore County Public Schools has recognized this increase and has turned to focusing on student literacy. Better spelling and grammar, developed by daily reading, also contributes to higher test scores. Along with better test scores, proper spelling and grammar makes student writing seem more professional, which can lead to higher scores on AP tests and others.

Reading helps the brain make connections between written and spoken words, increasing knowledge of vocab and proper grammar. Students who read on their own show a better proficiency at finding the main idea in a text, as well as identifying other aspects, which leads to better scores and grades in English class as well as standardized tests.

Whether you’re struggling with a midterm paper, college application essays, or just need an hour to decompress while playing scrabble, sign up with Mrs. Vance on Monday.