Sharing our progress

Virginia Football Players Inspire Students at Blue Ridge Juvenile Detention Center

Students at Blue Ridge Juvenile Detention Center were honored by a visit from several UVA football players. The event began with a dynamic Q&A session, where players shared personal stories about their upbringing, how they navigated challenges and avoided negative influences, and insights into their experiences with the transfer portal and NIL deals. The candid conversations fostered meaningful connections, with both players and students finding common ground in their journeys and feeling comfortable enough to share openly and vulnerably.

After the discussion, the excitement continued with five-on-five basketball games, where students faced off against the athletes. Out of five fiercely competitive games, the students secured an impressive win. To wrap up the visit, a few students showcased their dunking skills and sharp crossovers, leaving a lasting impression on the UVA players.

This growing relationship between UVA athletes and BRJD students has become incredibly impactful. Several players have since returned to visit, while others have maintained contact by writing letters of encouragement. The dedication of UVA’s athletic programs to community engagement and volunteering is evident, and we are deeply grateful for the positive influence they bring to our youth.

The CHKD Hospital School staff recently came together to make a difference for families in need by collecting laundry detergent and socks to donate to the Ronald McDonald House in Norfolk, Virginia. The team personally delivered the donations and had the privilege of touring the house, where they witnessed firsthand the incredible work being done to support families with sick children.

Many of the families we serve benefit from the services the Ronald McDonald House offers, so we were especially excited to support families in this meaningful way. The Ronald McDonald House is much more than a place to stay—it's a source of comfort, support, and resources for families navigating challenging medical journeys. Located just steps from the hospital, the house provides over 1,000 families each year with a place to rest, refresh, and feel at home.

The Ronald McDonald House staff was thrilled to welcome our team and expressed heartfelt gratitude for the donations. It was an inspiring experience to see how our contributions could help lessen the burden for families and support the important mission of keeping them close during tough times.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this effort! Together, we’re making a positive impact on our community.

Tuckahoe Library, Henrico, VA

Art Teacher/Mrs. Gutierrez

We are excited to share our students’ artwork from James River Juvenile Detention Center with the public!

This year we are showing off their creative and talented artwork at Tuckahoe Library located in Henrico County. The artwork is in the central part of the library, which most patrons like to meander and look at various works of art that the local schools of Henrico County put forth.

We are hoping the patrons of Tuckahoe Library are enjoying the creative art exhibit put on by our very own talented students at JRJDC. This art exhibit consists of varying styles and techniques — from drawings to paintings such as yarn paintings. This well-rounded exhibit showcases many of our students’ talents.

The students remain anonymous- but they receive a certificate given by Tuckahoe Library

acknowledging their talents in art. We are proud of our students and the artwork they have produced!

Our first resident student passed the remote DMV Learner’s Permit Test! James River JDC, in partnership with the Virginia DMV, has launched a remote learner’s permit testing program. Post-D students who meet the age requirement are nearing their release and have fulfilled facility expectations are eligible to take the test. Those who pass must only visit the DMV with the necessary documents to obtain their permit once it is released. JRJDC is excited to provide this additional service to our residents.

Under the leadership of Greg Townsend and Ben Anderson (science teachers), our team harvested 46 tilapias and several 4 lbs of fish for our annual fish fry. All the students got to experience this from start to finish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baz2pvoahmk

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made our annual Christmas luncheon at James River and Henrico Detention Center a truly special day. The food was plentiful and delicious, setting the perfect tone for a day filled with joy and talent. At James River, the students amazed us with their presentation of “A Day at The North Pole,” showcasing their acting, singing, and guitar-playing skills. Following the performance, our guests enjoyed a visit to the dining hall to view and purchase the student’s incredible work.

A special thank you to the Superintendents, their staff, and the teachers for ensuring this day was a resounding success.

Marcellus Bland

Erin Little

The BEAMS - Becoming Enthusiastic About Math and Science - Program is a science education program of Jefferson Lab (JLab). This program gives students an opportunity to investigate with JLab staff via science and math interactive activities. Annually, The BEAMS program serves approximately 1300 students and 60 teachers. Through the BEAMS program, JLab motivates students to continue learning and provides teachers with activities based on the science and technology used at the facility.

Our high school science teacher Erin Little, who is also an instructor for the JLab Science Activities for Teachers (JSAT) Program, invited her team to host an event that students would enjoy. Ms. Rhonda Bell, the Science Education Administrator Outreach Coordinator for JLab, brought an awesome cryogenics show to the Newport News Juvenile Detention Center School! Cryogenics is the science that addresses the production and effects of extremely low temperatures. The cryogenics show gives a glimpse of what is used on a daily basis at JLab. The cryogenics department builds equipment for JLab, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Michigan State University, Johnson Space Center, and Stanford University. The cryogenic show gives students a hands-on demonstration of how cold things can actually get!

Mr. Nick Windsor, English Teacher

Mrs. Audrey Aranda, Special Education Teacher

Mrs. Jaimie Choi, Art Teacher

Students made a visual representation of a pivotal moment in one of the short stories we read in English class throughout the quarter. Students were directed to visually represent exposition, conflict, or characterization using visual elements with the assistance of our art teacher, Mrs. Choi. The selected pictures represent three different scenes in two different stories we read (Through the Tunnel and The Most Dangerous Game). Students enjoyed expressing their favorite stories with creative freedom.

From English Teacher: Tammie Donavant-Villalta

If I could sum up The Writing Revolution, first known as the Hochman Method, in a few words it is “good writing requires explicit teaching.” Like most methods, TWR works best if students begin with explicit instruction in elementary school using specific strategies that become more complex as they work their way through elementary, middle and high school continuing to build stronger writing skills.

In my multi-grade English classroom, I recently introduced a strategy for writing an expository five-paragraph essay broken down into many parts. We began with a thesis statement and worked our way to the body paragraphs which were the focus of our lesson. I used color coding and explicit instruction, taking one step at a time.

The body paragraphs consist of three colors with three kinds of sentences: green- represents the topic sentence, yellow-the facts or examples that support the topic sentence, and red- details and explanations for the facts or examples that support the topic sentence (yellow). I displayed a poster and distributed smaller, individual posters (as shown below) to each student as a guide.

First, students were provided with an example of a body paragraph. Next, as a whole group, students provided examples that were put on the board so they could “see” their group body paragraph. Finally, students individually used their thesis statements to begin writing body paragraphs using our examples and posters as a guide. Students did a nice job with this assignment with many producing their first five paragraph essay!

In the future I will not always expect an extensive final product from each assignment. At least, I won’t present the final product in the beginning. I think students feel less pressure if they aren’t always contemplating all the work it takes to move from one portion of an assignment to the next. Bite sized assignments allow students to concentrate on the “now” which, over several class periods, yields better results.

Written by Mrs. Jan D. Owens

Social Studies Teacher, Newport News Juvenile Detention School

The Writing Revolution website contains a vast library of resources available to all participants of the course. One of my favorite resources is the “Sentence /Fragment” activity. I use this resource as an exit slip. The students are given two fragments that pertain to the lesson. Students are then required to turn the fragments into complete sentences with correct punctuation.

Another resource that I use is the Title/Topic page. Students read a newspaper article and afterwards, complete the Title/Topic Page. This document has the following components that students must complete: who/what, did/does/ will do what, when, where, why, how and a summary sentence.

These resources are great tools that can be used to assess learning.

Below are examples of how teachers at NRVJDH are utilizing The Writing Revolution content in their classrooms.

Cari Marks (English) and Jason Moore (Special Education) use "knowledge retrieval" by asking students the who, what when, where, why, and how questions in relation to texts and text recall.

Students are instructed to use slot notes to practice "writing" complete sentences, and are asked to develop sentence starters to indicate their learning from texts and discourse.

Students are encouraged to develop questions, sentences, and extensions when they look at images. [Political cartoons, photographs, maps, etc.]

Teachers use conjunctions to move students toward extending their own thoughts into deeper ideas. (and, but, for, nor, or, yet, so)

PRJDC: Using The Writing Revolution Strategies to Impact Writing

It doesn’t matter at which school you teach; most teenagers do NOT like to write essays! Students at Piedmont Regional Juvenile Detention Center (PRJDC) are no exception. Most students don’t even want to begin to write because they think that they’re “not good at it.” The difficulty for our students has been not only where to start, but also how to get to the end. This year we have begun to use a better writing “road map” for them to follow that is easing their minds and improving their writing! The Writing Revolution has been an invaluable resource for sentence starters and paragraph frames that make students believe that “I can do this!”

Using summary sentence structure frames to practice has enabled students to not just write complete sentences, but sentences they are proud to have written. It then enables them to stay on topic and to add details. Topic sentences are actually becoming “a thing” that is creating some beneficial competition!

The Writing Revolution has so many tools for students to use and we’ve only begun to scratch the surface. I have no doubt that as we continue to utilize more of the recommended techniques that student writing will get even better. Bring it on!

Jackie Holland, English Teacher, PRJDC

Using the TWR plan, Ms. Woods (English courses) incorporates the Single-Paragraph Outline (S-PO) writing process at least weekly during the daily journal writing process of each class. At least once a month, she also uses the Multiple-Paragraph Outline for both creative and non-fiction writing prompts to better prepare students for SOL writing requirements as well as to practice their written responses to class reading and discussion ideas.

For example, a journal use for the S-PO might be on the quote of the day or on a lead-in topic for a piece of literature. For a M-PO, students might use that format for a seasonal writing topic like goals for 2025 or for a response to reading about a debate topic like whether all uses of AI are cheating.

Students, at first or any new students, will be given blank worksheets of each to provide a template and consistency. Ms. Woods will then draft examples with student input of paragraphs or essays (3 to 5 paragraphs) on the Smartboard to provide motivation and guidance. Depending on developmental stages, students can borrow from the examples or create their own.

Ms. Teer (social studies courses) uses the S-PO writing process at least monthly during a summary activity of a social studies topic. For example, students might study an event in history and a video about it and then summarize what they understood about the event using the S-PO.

These are just a few of the ways RVJDC is using TWR in our education program.

By Lea Thorne

In both personal and professional settings effective communication skills are needed to be successful. Students at SVJC have been working on improving their communication skills. This is a skill that will help them work towards and reach their goals after returning to their communities.

Using strategies from The Writing Revolution, students in both history and English have worked on adding detail to their writing. The activities have helped students analyze text to identify important details in their reading. They are also learning how to take effective notes and then use those notes to craft varied and detailed sentences.

TWR activities have even been used for social-emotional activities. Students created a Gratitude Chain using sentence stems from the “Gratitude Chain” lesson found in TWR’s online content library. These activities have helped students develop and improve their communication skills both academically and socially.

Nick Windsor, English teacher

Students at Virginia Beach Juvenile Detention Center have been utilizing various skillsets outlined in The Writing Revolution to induce elaboration in the writing process, and to provide a guideline pre-writing. Students have been using their knowledge of coordinating conjunctions to add meaningful complex and compound sentences to their writing, which helps vary sentence structure in the drafting stages of writing. Additionally, for single paragraph responses, students have been using the SPO guideline to create detailed responses to long-response questions. Overall, The Writing Revolution has assisted students in the planning and execution of detailed, meaningful written responses and has helped eliminate vague, dull, and bland student writing.