Student Coaches perform a variety of important jobs to support classroom instruction, student communication and digital publishing at the workshops.
Rose Thomson
Supervising Coach and K-12 Webmaster Rose Thompson is a third year coach for the Writing and Technology Workshop. This is her third term serving as Head Coach at a workshop site. She graduated from Escalon High School and is currently a third year student at California State University, Sacramento as an English Major. She plans to teach high school English when she graduates. Rose enjoys working for the GVWP workshops, as it provides insight into the responsibilities of an English teacher. She enjoys reading, swimming and listening to music.
Emily Felt
Photo Manager and Social Media Director Emily is entering her junior year at Sierra High School, and this is her third year of coaching at GVWP Workshops. This year Emily’s positions were Photo Manager and Social Media Director. Emily is very active in her community and has a passion for music. She is a part of Sierra High’s “In Harmony” Advanced choir, and “Enchords” (a group of 6-8 girls that sing four part harmony). In the Fall, Emily will work as Secretary for the “In Harmony” choir and will audition for Regional/ All State Choir in October. After High School, Emily hopes to serve a mission for the Mormon Church and go to college to become a high school teacher or an opera singer.
Emmitt Grayson
Anthology Editor and 3rd-4th Webmaster Emmitt Marshal Grayson Jr. is going into his junior year. He enjoys video games, sports, and long walks on the beach. He does football, wrestling, and track. He gets average grades and is involved in many extracurricular activities. He enjoys reading science-fiction and stories and some romance novels, because he enjoys reading about things that will probably never happen. His three favorite genres of music are Rap, Rock, and Classical. This year, he created a website, but he also helped to edit anthologies and assisted with student supervision.
Allie Fern
Head Photographer & Assistant Anthology Editor Allie Fern will be entering her junior year of high school at Tracy High. Because of her father's role as a Technology Coordinator, she has been lucky enough to participate in the program since 2nd grade. Partnered with her trusty Nikon sidekick, this is her third year working as a photographer. Her passion for reading and writing extends outside the workshop, where she also loves goofing off online, running track and cross-country, and traveling the world. She will keep on helping the Great Valley Writing Project as long as she is able!
Cristina Franzia
Webmaster in training Cristina just started her training in website production, but she has a natural talent for organization and shows great promise. We hope to see her return as a Senior Coach next year.
Kyna McClenaghan
Head Anthology Editor Kyna McClenaghan is a second year coach for the Writing and Technology Workshop. She served as the head anthology editor, organizing publication of nine collections of student work . She graduated from Modesto High School and is currently attending New York University as a psychology major. Kyna hopes to become a social worker and work closely with people in foster care. She enjoys classic films and reading philosophical texts such as Zen Mind, Beginners' Mind, and Tao Te Ching.
Meredith Perkins
Assistant Manager for Workshop Publications Meredith Perkins recently graduated from Arizona State University. She completed her senior year graduating Cum Laude, with a Bachelors degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences. She plans to attend San Jose State University in the fall to pursue a teaching credential in early childhood special education. She will then pursue a Masters degree in Speech Language Pathology. Meredith has entered the program as Administrative Assistant and has been thrilled working with her fellow coaches and professionals. In her free time, she enjoys playing and coaching soccer and volleyball, playing piano, working out, and creating good conversation with a variety of people.
Talon Waters
Tech Manager and K-2 Webmaster Talon Redfeather Waters is fourteen years old and is an upcoming sophomore at Millenium High School. This year will be his third year in the Writing and Technology Workshop and his second year as a student coach. His roles were demanding: he served as Tech/AV manager (helping teachers and students organize and use iPads and Chromebooks in the classroom), but he also served as Webmaster for the K-2 classroom and set up this Student Coaches webpage . The reason Talon is attending the Writing and Technology Workshop is because it will look good on his transcripts to college, and he is enjoying the experience. It gives him a sense of pride knowing he made an improvement in someone’s life, even if it was small.
Destiney Ward
Anthology Editor This was Destiney’s first year as a coach. She is going into her junior year of high school this summer and spends most of her free time reading, writing, and blogging. At her school, Destiney takes part in many extracurricular activities and is highly involved as a musician. She plays five different instruments and has participated as a violin player in the city and county honor orchestra and has been a part of the Central Valley Youth Symphony. She shows an interest in psychology and neuroscience and hopes to get accepted to UC Davis or possibly even Stanford.