National Writing Project

Be Part of the Largest Writing Project Gathering of the Year

By: NWP Staff
Publication: The Voice, Vol. 10, No. 3
Date: 2005

Summary: The NWP Annual Meeting, November 17–19, offers exciting interactive workshop sessions, roundtable discussions, and demonstrations of successful practice, all conducted by NWP members . . .

 

If your idea of a good time is to gather with hundreds of like-minded teachers of writing who are passionate about their work, eager to exchange successful practices, and excited about being part of a nationwide professional community, then don't miss the 2005 NWP Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh, November 17–19. The annual meeting is also an excellent opportunity to learn more about the nuts and bolts of running a successful writing project site and to share your site's challenges and successes with leaders from across the network.

Held in conjunction with the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention, the NWP Annual Meeting includes interactive workshop sessions, roundtable discussions, and demonstrations of successful practice, all conducted by site leaders, teacher-consultants, and leaders of NWP's national networks and initiatives. Learn more details about events planned for each day of the meeting in the 2005 NWP Annual Meeting Overview sidebar below or by linking to the Annual Meeting page. If you're new to the annual meeting, the Web pages also provide a link to an archive of last year's meeting so you'll know more about what to expect.

Special Events

A number of special events are scheduled this year, including the English Language Learners Network Social on Thursday evening, the NWP Reception on Friday evening, and the Rural Sites Network Breakfast on Saturday morning. More details about these events will be available on the NWP website in September.

Hotel Information and NCTE Registration

Most 2005 NWP Annual Meeting events will take place at the Omni William Penn Hotel, a historic landmark in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh, but some sessions will be held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center just a few blocks away. Because the meeting is held in conjunction with the NCTE Annual Convention, hotel reservations must be made through NCTE. We encourage NWP Annual Meeting participants to register for the NCTE convention. You can register and make your hotel reservations online at the NCTE website or download the hotel registration form and mail it to NCTE. The conference registration deadline is October 24, but the hotel deadline is October 20, so remember to submit your lodging request as early as possible if you want to book a room at the Omni William Penn Hotel where most NWP events will occur.

You should continue to check the NWP website through mid-November for regular updates about the meeting. Thursday Site Development and Technology Liaison session descriptions will be posted in early September (registration is required), and a complete Friday schedule including breakout sessions will be posted in early October (no registration required). The website also offers an online itinerary tool, My Events, that allows participants to create a personalized schedule of events for the entire meeting.

2005 NWP Annual Meeting Overview

Thursday, November 17: Site Development Workshops/Technology Liaison Strand
Morning and afternoon rounds of in-depth workshops focus on the core work of writing project sites in addition to a special strand of workshops for NWP technology liaisons. Thursday workshops require online registration. Session descriptions will be posted and registration will be open as of September 1. Thursday sessions fill up quickly, so visit the NWP website to register today. Participants are also invited to a Thursday evening reception hosted by the NWP English Language Learners Network. You will find more information about the reception and all meeting events here.

Friday, November 18: General Session and Workshop Rounds
Friday is the official start of the NWP Annual Meeting, with a general session in the morning and three rounds of sessions in the afternoon. This year, there will also be a selection of informal Friday morning "coffee chats" prior to the start of the general session. Friday session descriptions will be posted at the NWP website in early October. Also on Friday, an early evening celebratory reception is a great opportunity to relax and network with writing project colleagues from across the country. Friday's events do not require registration and are open to all participants.

Saturday, November 19: Leadership Meetings, Writing Strand at NCTE
Saturday is set aside for NWP program and network leadership team meetings. Concurrently, a special all-day strand of writing workshops will be conducted at the NCTE convention by writing project teacher-leaders. You can find out more about the Saturday writing strand, Teaching Writing to a New Generation, here. All meeting participants are also invited to a Saturday breakfast hosted by the NWP Rural Sites Network. Again, visit the annual meeting Web pages to learn more about times and locations of these events.

 

Things You Probably Didn't Know About Pittsburgh
Courtesy of the Greater Pittsburgh Convention and Visitors Bureau website at www.visitpittsburgh.com
  • Pittsburgh is within 500 miles of more than half the U.S. population, and the city is less than 90 minutes' flying time from 20 states and Canada.
  • Pittsburgh International Airport was ranked best airport in the United States by JD Power & Associates. It has also been ranked number one by Travelocity.com for the shortest wait at security checkpoints and the shortest wait in check-in lines.
  • Pittsburgh has ranked in the top 10 as the best place to raise a family, to own a home-based business, to start as a young professional, for working mothers, for relocation of families and businesses, and to grow personal wealth.
  • The cost of living is among the lowest in the nation. Compared to other cities of similar sizes, housing costs in the City of Pittsburgh are the lowest. The cost of a three-bedroom house in the Pittsburgh area is nearly 30 percent below the national average.
  • Pittsburgh is the only city in the country whose major sports teams (Steelers, Pirates, and Penguins) all wear the same colors.
  • Per capita, Pittsburghers are said to drink more coffee than people in any other city in North America.
  • Bob Hope proposed to his wife, Delores, in Pittsburgh's Omni William Penn Hotel.
  • Pittsburgh has 723 bridges, more than any other city in the world except Venice, Italy.
  • Pittsburgh lost the "h" in its spelling in 1891, but after 20 years of public protest, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names relented and the "h" was restored.

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