- November 1, 2024
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As a group of five students sat in a Matanzas High School classroom after school on Monday, Sept. 24, they expressed vulnerabilities that have motivated them to write. The discussions weren’t about who’s popular or who has the coolest phone; they talked about their religion being challenged, overcoming emotionally toxic relationships, reconnecting with parents and stepping out of their comfort zone to do things they never expected.
Seniors Gabby Dennany and Caleb Krassner created the Matanzas writing club during their sophomore year because they heard their peers complain about writing assignments for school. But they wanted students to enjoy writing like they do.
“One of my big reasons of having this club is to show people that writing isn’t just about writing essays on some novel you were forced to read, as a grade,” Dennany said. “Writing can also be creative and you can express yourself. And if you’re going through things at home, and you’re feeling things you don’t want to feel, you can always get it out with writing.”
With the club going into its third year, the club’s presidential pair are looking to grow the group and eventually find a student to take over the leadership for them once they graduate in May.
“In many ways, we encouraged our new incoming ninth-graders by telling them what they do and what they write matters and that we enjoy hearing it,” Krassner said.
Dennany’s love for writing has taken her across the pond. She just returned from a summer studying English literature at Oxford through its summer courses program.
When Dennany was a student at Indian Trails Middle School, she wrote and self-published a book. In high school, a publishing company revamped “Alice the Leader,” and it was released on Amazon in 2017.
“One of the biggest reasons I wanted to go to Oxford was so that, when I came back, I could have this information that I can help and share with the students in the club,” she said. “Going to another county, where writing is romanticized … I wanted to be able to come back and tell all these students that what I saw is what you guys can do.”
The duo said the club is a safe space where students are encouraged to be open, as no one will judge them or their writing, but only offer constructive critism to help them improve their storytelling abilities.
The club meets at 2:30 p.m. for about an hour or so every Monday in Mr. Jason Keen’s room or Ms. Khadijah Jones’ room, as they’re the two advisors who rotate leading the club.
