For nearly 50 years, the National Writing Projecthas been honoring and enhancing teacher work through its highly regarded Invitational Leadership Institutes. The Shenandoah Valley Writing Project has continued this tradition of developing teachers as Teacher Consultants with the Writing Project since 2014. The model is based on the philosophy that the best teachers of teachers are teachers themselves.
Each year, the SVWP selects up to 20 talented pre-K-University educators from all disciplines for the Invitational Institutes and invites them to share their best practices with their peers.
At the Institute, teachers:
present and demonstrate approaches to the teaching of writing or using writing as a learning tool
examine issues in the teaching of writing
improve the use of writing to deepen and extend learning in all curricular areas
study current and past research in the field
write in various modes and from different points of view, including a position paper on teaching and using writing to improve instruction
Location: Offered in a HYBRID format for 2023 with an option to zoom into meetings from a distance.
The 2023 Schedule is below. Please read before considering your interest and availability for the Institute.
June 26-30 Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: synchronous Online from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m daily with asynchronous afternoons from 1:00 -4:00 p.m. Tuesday & Thursday: In person on the Shenandoah University campus 9:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m Daily Lunch break 12:00-1:00
ONE WEEK BREAK FROM JULY 1-9
July 10 – 21 Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: synchronous online 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.daily with asynchronous afternoons from 1:00 -4:00 p.m. Tuesday & Thursday: In person on the Shenandoah University campus 9:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m Daily Lunch break 12:00-1:00
Graduate Credit Earned:
Fellows earn six graduate credits in either Writing or Education (equal to 180 VA recertification points). Participant choice.
Cost: $2200Most schools and/or districts pay full tuition. Limited scholarships are available.
To apply please complete the following:
Completed application, accessed and completed online. Follow one of the buttons on this page.
The application includes a place to describe your interest in the Institute and ways you feel the Institute can be of benefit
Two recommendations, also fulfilled online. Include one recommendation from a colleague and one from a supervisor.
Applicants are urged to apply between November and April. Applications received after April 15 will be considered on a space-available basis only.
Interviews:
Applicants will be invited to interview on an afternoon in March or April in an online Zoom session.
Congratulations! The newest SVWP Teacher Consultants:
Director: Leslie Shea Perry, SVWP Co-Director
Marci Andrews, J. Lupton Simpson Middle School
Emily Brown, Peter Muhlenberg Middle School
Dawn Buehler, Millbrook High School
Richard Decker, Amherst Education Center
Michelle Fischette, Mount Vernon Woods Elementary
Anne “Penny” Hagerty, Loudoun Valley High School
Jodi Henry, Loudoun Valley High School
Amy Hepner, Daniel Morgan Middle School
Brandon Lamma, Peter Muhlenberg Middle School
Traci Mellor, Fauquier High School
Ebtissam Oraby, George Washington University
Jeff Rudy, Loudoun County High School
Tiya Shaw, Salem Elementary School
Rebecca Walter, Loudoun Valley High School
Staff: Samuel Gesford, Robert E. Aylor Middle School Robin Frost, Fauquier High School Paul Anderson, Warren County High School
Congratulations to the most recent Teacher Consultants of the SVWP from the 2019-20 Year Round Institute
Congratulations to the SVWP’s latest TCs!
They weathered a whole year, ending with flying colors in the middle of a pandemic. Cheers! Left to right beginning at the top with staff in parentheses: Ashlee Himes, Central High School; (Mary Tedrow, Beth Buerkel); Katy Greiner, Rock Ridge High School; Todd Wargo, Central High School; Amanda Burton, Daniel Morgan Intermediate School; Jennifer DiMarco, Garland R. Quarles Elementary; Sonja Sneddon, Bass Hoover Elementary; Maureen Mahoney, John F. Kennedy Middle School; Sarah Moehl, M.M. Pierce Elementary; Paul Anderson, Warren County High School; (Star Friend), Allison Beck-Watson, Floyd T. Binns Middle School; Aaron Cosner, Harrisonburg High School.
Teacher Consultants from 2018-19
Kristen Bredice, Harmony Middle School Samuel McClain, Rock Ridge High School Kimberly Peterson, Winchester Public Schools Richelle Riley, James G. Brumfield Elementary Ashley Scott, Garland R. Quarles Elementary Sara Dashner, Frederick Douglass Elementary Jordan Vachon, Garland R. Quarles Elementary Lisa Williamson, Garland R. Quarles Elementary Tessie Mogule, Garland R. Quarles Elementary
Teacher Consultants from the 2018 Summer Institute
Director: Susan Fiatte McGilvray, SVWP Co-Director
Lori Abbott, A.S. Rhodes Elementary School Patrick Ayers, Rock Ridge High School Tracy Bailey, Brambleton Middle School Jessie Beard, Marshall Middle School Paige Cox, Loudoun Valley High School Brendan Erb, Skyline Middle School Michael Fannin, Garland R. Quarles Elementary School Crystal Gage, John Handley High School Kelly Kwolek, Warrenton Middle School Mary Lee, Blue Ridge Elementary School Ellen Martin, Garland R. Quarles Elementary School Karla Pino, Daniel Morgan Middle School Emily Shafer, John Kerr Elementary School Stacey Yost, Daniel Morgan Middle School
Staff: Shabana Shah, Sugarland Elementary School Shea Finny, Loudoun Valley High School
2017-18 Teacher Consultants
Director: Mary Tedrow
Irene Asuncion Moulton, Rock Ridge High School Patricia Berrian, J. Michael Lunsford Middle School Felisa Cupps, Tuscarora High School Elizabeth Davis, Winchester Public Schools Danielle DeChristopher, Garland R. Quarles Elementary Amanda Estep, Garland R. Quarles Elementary Samantha Gates, Winchester Public Schools Amanda Harrington, Mountain Vista Governor’s School Joyce Householder, Garland R. Quarles Elementary Tara Lockhart, Garland R. Quarles Elementary Louise E. Mann, Dominion High School Susan Newman, Rock Ridge High School Mallory Simon, Frederick County Middle School Seth Stahler, Garland R. Quarles Elementary
Staff: Dee Dee Livesay, Banneker Elementary School Rebecca Schwier, M. M. Pierce Elementary School
*Read Meghann Donohue’s reflection on the Year-Round Institute.
2017 Teacher Consultants
Director: Laura Tucker, SVWP Co-Director
Sarah Andino, James G. Brumfield Elementary Beth Buerkel, Daniel Morgan Middle School Teresa Cave, Garland R. Quarles Elementary School Michelle Coleman, North Fork Middle School Nicole Daquilante, Red Bud Run Elementary School Star Friend, John Handley High School Samuel Gesford, North Fork Middle School Laura Hughes, Blue Ridge Elementary School Camille Murphy, Harmony Middle School Moriah Rush, E. Wilson Morrison Elementary Alice “Katy” Schain, Daniel Morgan Middle School Shabana Shah, Sugarland Elementary School Marianne Sutton, Marshall Middle School Jeanette Wolffe, James G. Brumfield Elementary
Staff: Damon Laabs, Trailside Middle School Shea Finny, Loudoun Valley High School
SVWP Teacher Consultants Inaugural Year-Round Institute of 2017-18
Director: Mary Tedrow
Jaclyn Azat, Trailside Middle School Heather Campbell, Garland R. Quarles Elementary School Jennifer Eppard-Morgan, Garland R. Quarles Elementary School Sarah Fitzgerald, Eastern View High School Margaret Humphries, Potomac Senior High School Robert Kilby, Garland R. Quarles Elementary School Paul Koch, Rock Ridge High School Beth Konkoski, Broad Run High School Heather Lark-Rickard, Garland R. Quarles Elementary School Marina Levi, Tuscarora High School Dee Dee Livesay, Daniel Morgan Middle School
Staff: Meghann Donohue, Harmony Middle School Nicole Kaylan, Dominion High School
SVWP Teacher Consultants
Class of 2016
Director: Mary Tedrow, SVWP Director
Carissa Altizer, Sandy Hook Middle School John Applin, Capon Bridge Elementary Danielle Bostick, John Handley High School Melanie Catron, Warren County Middle School Emelie Duke Colmery, Creighton’s Corner Elementary School Nicole Korsen, Dominion High School Damon Laabs, Trailside Middle School Lisa Larkin, P.B. Smith Elementary School Jacqueline Mutz, Rock Ridge High School Timothy “Chip” Newcome, John Handley High School Rebecca Schwier, M. M. Pierce Elementary School Marianne Tomasic, Shepherdstown Middle School
Staff: Donna Michael, Johnson-Williams Middle School Terrence Donohue, Clarke County High School Mary Tedrow, Director
Inaugural 2015 Teacher Consultants for the Shenandoah Valley Writing Project
Bethany Burroughs, Liberty High School Jennifer Cherry, Trailside Middle School Terence Donohue, Clarke County High School Rosella Fonte, Douglass Alternative School Matthew Giddens, Trailside Middle School Rebekah Hess, Rock Ridge High School Christopher Humenik, Warren County High School Donna Michael, Johnson-Williams Middle School Sarah Schiavo, Harmony Middle School Amy Snapp, James Wood High School Joseph Svoboda, John Kerr Elementary School Michelle Ward, Stone Hill Middle School Jaqueline Weitman, Signal Knob Middle School Christine Welch, Signal Knob Middle School
The 2014 Invitational Summer Institute held at John Handley High School
Directors: Susan McGilvray and Laura Tucker:
Rhonda Alley, Douglass School, Leesburg, VA Julie Cacciola, Douglass School, Leesburg, VA Julie Constantino, Virginia Avenue Charlotte DeHart Elementary, Winchester, VA Meghann Donohue, Harmony Middle School, Hamilton, VA Jennifer Warner Howells, Skyline High School, Front Royal, VA Nicole Kaylan, Dominion High School, Sterling, VA Mallory Skarupa, Central High School, Woodstock, VA Margaret Stokes, Belmont Ridge Middle School, Leesburg, VA Amy Thomas, Frederick Douglass Elementary, Winchester, VA
As English Department Chair at Loudoun Valley High School, I wish to register four of my staff members for the Fall Learn to Write Conference, Sept. 23, 2017. I cannot, however, locate a link to registration. Also, one of the participants is Shea Finny, who served as one of your summer teachers; will she be required to pay tuition? Please contact me so that I may proceed. Thank you!
Hello Marcia,
We do not yet have a link active for registration. We simply hoped to advertise the date while we waited for confirmation of our Keynote speaker. We should have a link active in the next two weeks and that information will be forthcoming (where and how to register).
Shea will be attending independently because the teachers she has coached will be presenting. So plan on registering the three teachers rather than four when we have our registration page up. Thank you so much for your query.
Marcia,
Just wanted to let you know that registration has now gone live for our fall conference featuring Jeff Anderson. You can access the online registration form through our website or simply follow this link: http://connect.su.edu/SVWP2017
shenandoahwritingproject.org 
As English Department Chair at Loudoun Valley High School, I wish to register four of my staff members for the Fall Learn to Write Conference, Sept. 23, 2017. I cannot, however, locate a link to registration. Also, one of the participants is Shea Finny, who served as one of your summer teachers; will she be required to pay tuition? Please contact me so that I may proceed. Thank you!
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Hello Marcia,
We do not yet have a link active for registration. We simply hoped to advertise the date while we waited for confirmation of our Keynote speaker. We should have a link active in the next two weeks and that information will be forthcoming (where and how to register).
Shea will be attending independently because the teachers she has coached will be presenting. So plan on registering the three teachers rather than four when we have our registration page up. Thank you so much for your query.
LikeLike
Thank you so much! Looking forward to it!
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Marcia,
Just wanted to let you know that registration has now gone live for our fall conference featuring Jeff Anderson. You can access the online registration form through our website or simply follow this link: http://connect.su.edu/SVWP2017
LikeLike