For many years, the Creative Writing Capstone has been one of Choate’s Signature Academic Programs, but that well-known fact is now about to change. Next year, the Creative Writing Capstone will officially find its new identity as an advanced elective available for more sixth form students, though the curriculum of the course will remain the same.
The Creative Writing Capstone is unique among Capstone programs. In order to participate in a Capstone, students sub-mit a project proposal, meet individually with a teacher, attend courses related to their topic of interest, and complete and present their project in the spring. In contrast, students in Creative Writing Capstone meet regularly the first two terms.
With the recategorization of the Creative Writing Capstone, students may still design Capstones in English or creative writing.
“We observed that the number of applications to the Creative Writing Capstone has diminished in recent years. Four years ago nine people applied, two years ago there were seven applications, and last year five students applied,” Mr. John Cobb, the Creative Writing Capstone teacher, remarked.
He listed various reasons why the number of applications have dropped down. “The normal application process would include a prospective Capstone student’s submitting a portfolio of his or her work, and a group of English teachers would read the portfolios and decide who made the cut. A number of students commented that putting together and submit-ting a portfolio was too daunting of a task. Some students decided not to apply because there was chance that they would not be accepted. Hence, for some the possibility of rejection may have played a role in their decision to apply.”
Another issue that ultimately led to the change of the Creative Writing Capstone program was that students who partici-pate in other Signature Academic Programs were excluded from participating. “For example, students in SRP (Student Research Program) or Arts Concentration couldn’t take the Creative Writing Capstone because the school only allows students to participate in one signature program. With the writing program becoming an advanced elective, students who are enrolled in SRP and Arts Con can now take the course,” Mr. Cobb stated.
However, Creative Writing student Elena Turner ’17 believes that having a larger class size due to opening up the class will decrease the value of the class. “It would be worse if the class had ten people. I understand making it more open, but having only five people makes the class more intimate.” She continued, “One time we wrote slam poems, and it was the most emotional day of my time at Choate. Because there were so few students, we were able to connect, and after that we became really close.” She also believes that too many people will make it so that “we won’t be able to give workshopping the attention it deserves.”
The curriculum and format of the Creative Writing program will still stay the same, according to Mr. Cobb. “We’re simply changing the program to an advanced elective. The content of the course will remain the same,” he said. Students are also encouraged to delve deep in all different forms of writing, whether it’s slam poetry or flash fiction. A typical day in class would include students sharing and critiquing each other’s work.
Mr. Cobb mused, “The creative writing course offers a fantastic opportunity for Choate’s best creative writers to put together a body of work that they can use to promote themselves to colleges or simply express themselves through words. It will open new doors to students who previously didn’t have the chance to join the Capstone Program.”
However, there will still be prerequisites for the class. To be considered, students must take either Introduction to Creative Writing or Intensive Creative Writing, or they can submit a few examples of their creative work and secure a recommendation from an English teacher. “As much as we want a diverse groups of students across the School, we still want to make sure that students in the course can handle the intensive writing we do,” Mr. Cobb commented.
“I’m happy that the creative writing program is now an elective. I can continue to pursue my other interests and fit creative writing into my academic schedule,” Kate Spencer ’20 commented.
