"We were the pioneers—both Butler and Shortridge students alike—of an impossible task...
This semester was different. Signing up for this course, I was shown countless pictures of Shortridge and Butler students coexisting and...
- Dec 1, 2020
- 2 min
"It broke the monotony of being alone and stuck in the house every day..."
This semester, I looked forward to writer’s workshop every week and was thrilled to learn that we would spend the remainder of the...
- Apr 24, 2020
- 2 min
"They helped remind me why I fell in love with writing in the first place..."
At the beginning of the semester, I was excited to work with Shortridge students and hoped I could pass along my love of writing to them....
- Dec 6, 2019
- 1 min
Poetic Reflections from Shortridge
we haven’t written as much as we hoped for but that’s okay. what really matters is the time we shared. the laughter. As this semester...
- Nov 29, 2019
- 2 min
"I've learned more from Shortridge students than I could probably ever teach..."
I certainly am hopeful that, even if in just some very small way, I’ve been able to make an impact on a student or students at Shortridge...
- May 6, 2019
- 2 min
Mutual Vulnerability and the Rewards of Being Known
I hadn’t expected my voice to shake. Putting down my emotions to complete a task is a skill I’ve come to manage so well that I’m pretty...
- May 6, 2019
- 2 min
"The resiliency, self-awareness, and talent I witnessed was remarkable..."
At first, my decision to enroll in the Writing in Schools course was a purely logistical one. It fulfilled both my Indianapolis Community...
- Apr 24, 2019
- 1 min
Butler Writers program preps tenth edition of IPS student work
A new print edition of Reverberations, a literary journal for the poets and storytellers of Shortridge High School, will be released this...
- Apr 10, 2019
- 2 min
"Few spaces inside a school have felt safer than Butler Writers..."
Even when I consider my own high school experience, few spaces inside a school have felt safer than Butler Writers at Shortridge. It has...
- Apr 10, 2019
- 2 min
"I think we will be able to take on anything..."
One of the best parts of the experience at Shortridge was the community we built. No matter how many or little students showed up to the...
- Mar 10, 2019
- 2 min
"My opinion changed vastly, and my mind was opened..."
In the weeks leading up to Shortridge, we were told often how great the students were not only in general but also in their writing...
- Dec 10, 2018
- 2 min
"I see so many students from both schools benefitting from the future of the program..."
After a semester of Butler Writers, here is what I know now: do not underestimate the high schooler. They are intelligent young people...
- Dec 5, 2018
- 2 min
"Pushing myself to be more outgoing had a positive impact on someone else..."
At the beginning of the semester, the primary expectation I had for myself was to try as hard as possible to step outside of my comfort...
- Dec 5, 2018
- 2 min
"I will look fondly on my experiences forever..."
I am incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to be a mentor for the semester at Shortridge. As I had stated at the beginning of...
- Nov 10, 2018
- 2 min
"Seeing people write a lot and really love it was a little earth-shattering..."
Our after-school space being more freely-structured allows the students to be more open and about themselves and about their writing....
- Apr 20, 2018
- 1 min
The Last Word from Broad Ripple
On Tuesday, April 18, the Butler Writers met for one final time at Broad Ripple, with the school's unfortunate closing on the horizon. In...
- Apr 19, 2018
- 2 min
"WITS will be the class I remember and appreciate the most in my time at Butler..."
If you had asked first-year me what I thought the class that would affect me most at Butler, I do not know what my answer would have...
- Apr 10, 2018
- 3 min
"This course made me realize what I really like and what I really care about..."
I went to school in a 4-star corporation. We always had the newest technology when it came out (i.e. Elmo projectors, Smart Boards, class...
- Mar 10, 2018
- 2 min
"There is nothing more important than working with young people and giving them a platform..."
I grew into my role as a tutor and mentor over the course of the semester. I fell in love with being at the school and working with all...
- Feb 21, 2018
- 1 min
Busy Season at Shortridge
There have been no winter blues for the Shortridge Blue Devils, with a special string of events to cap the fall semester and commence the...
- Dec 10, 2017
- 2 min
"All it takes is a bit of time and an open ear..."
It seems strange to me that the simplest things are those that we often forget. How easy is it, really, to just listen? As it turns out,...
- Dec 9, 2017
- 2 min
Ladder Language
My grandfather was many things. Most importantly, he was a grandfather (a thing many grandfathers forget to be). By trade and education,...
- Dec 7, 2017
- 2 min
Live and Let Be
Volunteering as a mentor at Broad Ripple is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I remember the first few weeks of classes made me...
- Nov 20, 2017
- 2 min
The Pride of Butler Writers
Before walking into Broad Ripple High School, I had no idea what to expect. This was mid-September and at this point, I’d only lived in...
- Nov 13, 2017
- 2 min
"I have laughed, learned, and been truly awestruck…’
Spending time at Broad Ripple Magnet School has helped return me to the simpler joys of life. As someone who is at least ten years older...
- Nov 13, 2017
- 2 min
The Benefits of Free Expression
Arriving at Broad Ripple Magnet School on the first day did not feel as odd as it did for my peers. I had just been in high school a few...
- Nov 10, 2017
- 2 min
Ripple Effects
It’s weird being at a school that’s going to close. It’s weird being there with students who know this, and may not know where they will...
- Oct 31, 2017
- 2 min
"It was shocking to realize how much this bright, happy kid had going on in his life..."
Broad Ripple High School is a continual bundle of surprises. Being an Australian exchange student I have been bombarded with questions...
- Oct 31, 2017
- 2 min
"I always feel like I grow a little every time I go to Broad Ripple..."
The first day at Broad Ripple felt about the same as any first day of high school ever had. The nerves and stomach knots were almost...
- May 10, 2017
- 1 min
Happy Summer Break to Our Students
Writing in the Schools wrapped up its programming for the 2016-17 school year with magazine release parties at Broad Ripple Magnet School...
- May 9, 2017
- 1 min
For the first time, Butler Writers publishes lit journals at Broad Ripple and Shortridge
For the first time in the program’s history, Butler Writers was proud to unveil two separate print publications of student work. Young...
- May 6, 2017
- 2 min
All the Right Moves
When I was growing up, my teachers were always the ones that I looked up to the most. They always seemed to know everything, and they...
- May 5, 2017
- 2 min
"Sprinkled with sentiments of nostalgia and hope..."
Stepping into Broad Ripple Magnet School for the first time was like a breath of fresh air, sprinkled with sentiments of nostalgia and...
- May 4, 2017
- 2 min
"Not only do they have talent, they have guts..."
The students at Broad Ripple continue to amaze me every time I’m in the classroom with them. Being a creative writing student at Butler,...
- May 2, 2017
- 2 min
"Where wandering minds find refuge..."
“Sorry. I don’t like eye contact. It freaks me out.” “That’s fine. I don’t like shaking hands with people.” This exchange lasted...
- May 1, 2017
- 2 min
Ice-Cream-Pizza Incredible
Sessions at Butler Writers always start the same way. Questions, questions, questions. What’s your favorite book? What do you want to be...
- Mar 19, 2017
- 3 min
"I fell in love with the school and the students that day..."
The first time I walked into the science laboratory at Broad Ripple Magnet School for Butler Writers, I had no idea what to expect. I had...
- Mar 19, 2017
- 2 min
Dancing in the Schools
Each day we go into Broad Ripple Magnet School, we set out with the goal of getting the students we mentor to grow. As the course title...
- Mar 12, 2017
- 2 min
"It's really an incredible thing..."
I am consistently surprised by the creativity and ability that these kids are showing at such a young age. They’re all so different, and...
- Jan 18, 2017
- 1 min
Images from Shortridge: Halfway to Reverberations Debut
On the last day of our Fall semester, our full complement of Shortridge writers joined us for Hot Takis and camaraderie. Though it may...
- Jan 13, 2017
- 2 min
"Mentors never actually say goodbye..."
“Friends never say goodbye” — Elton John OK, more like mentors never actually say goodbye. After this long, exhausting and equally...
- Dec 20, 2016
- 2 min
"I do not want this to end..."
During this semester, I have struggled with understanding why so many teachers leave the school or do not take the time to really get to...
- Dec 20, 2016
- 2 min
A Recipe for Success
Butler Writers is an experience. You may think you’re ready, but you have no idea what you’re getting into when you step into this...
- Dec 13, 2016
- 2 min
"The best thing I've ever done in my life..."
Who knew that the most chaotic and stressful part of my semester would be the best thing I’ve ever done in my life? That’s not an...
- Nov 15, 2016
- 2 min
Faith, Trust, and Pencil Dust
To say I was terrified of mentoring at Broad Ripple—since we were, in a sense, lab rats in mentoring at a whole new school—is a drastic...
- Oct 29, 2016
- 2 min
To Write One Sentence
I’ve only ever seen I— write one sentence. On the first day of Butler Writers, he came in, looked around, took a chair from a nearby...
- Oct 29, 2016
- 2 min
Hugs, Smiles, and Thunderheads
Wow. It’s hard to describe this program. It’s exhausting. It’s gratifying. It’s terrifying. But most of all, it makes me want to get...
- Oct 29, 2016
- 2 min
First Try at a Second Chance
I have said it many times and I’m not scared to say it again: being at Broad Ripple is like stepping into a time warp where I’m thirteen...
- Oct 18, 2016
- 2 min
"They're really something else..."
Like most of the class, I was nervous about the first day at Broad Ripple Magnet School. I had never been in a teaching or mentoring...
- Oct 10, 2016
- 1 min
Two Poems for Broad Ripple
First Day Jitters We walked orange streaked hallways with imposing red lockers. Around the corners, whispers in huddles. We readied the...