Leader in Me @ Chillicothe Middle School

Power of the Pen

By Heaven James

At Chillicothe Middle, there are many talented, young students that have a knack for writing. When I first joined the school-system and wrote for my Language Arts teacher, Mrs. Frances, she urged me to go to an informational meeting for something called “Power of the Pen”. I believe her exact wording was, “If you don’t go, I’ll forcefully drag you there.” I went, of course, and was introduced to an amazing coach, Ms. Arredondo,  with an amazing group of people. I was very excited to get started, but what exactly is Power of the Pen?

Well, Power of the Pen is an extracurricular activity where students write to a prompt with a limited amount of time. The starting time limit is 45 minutes, and you have to write a short story following a prompt. A prompt is a rule for what your story has to be about or contain. The time limit shortens every time you qualify for a higher league. I started out as a nervous and quiet person, but now, I am a state-qualifier! I never thought that I would get there from my humble beginnings. To get to state you have to be in the top 50% of Districts and then move onto Regional. It is a significantly lower percentage who actually gets to move onto State from there.

A Power of the Pen tournament is a very fun place to be. You would arrive at around 7:00 am to 8:00 am, and talk with your team after the coach would sign you in. After introduction, which includes a game of bingo to get to know people around you, everyone will head their writing room. You will never be in the same room as a writer from your school. After the three writing rounds, you will go back to the cafeteria and eat lunch. It’s nice to ask about what your teammates wrote about. Your story would be scored upon if it was the best or worst out of a group. To break ties, the judges determine quality points. I usually always get a 1 or 2 out of a group of people. I placed 6th at Chillicothe Middle School, where the regionals tournament was held.

The best advice I have for anyone who wants to try Power of the Pen is, don’t be intimidated and always finish a story. There’s always going to be that one prompt that you don’t feel, but go through with it. I have no idea how some of the things I’ve written scored pretty well, it was actually quite surprising. Also, do it for fun. Trust me, if I know one thing about Power of the Pen, it is most fun to write and share short stories with your friends. Ms. Arredondo would be happy to have you. Trust me, she’s put up with me, she can handle anything.If you follow my advice, you’ll either place, or have extreme fun trying. However, it wasn’t just my knack for writing that got me there. I believe it also had to do with luck, and the support from all of my teachers.

I would like to take a moment to thank a few of the people who inspired me. I would like to thank Mr. Kaltenbach for mentioning Power of the Pen and intriguing me. Thank you, Mrs. Francis, for pushing me to be a better writer and believing in me. You helped me be confident in my ability to write and I am very grateful. You will be in the acknowledgements of a book one day, I’m sure of that. Thank you, the Language Department and everyone else who thought me worthy of going to State, so much so that they would sacrifice their own earnings just to see me go. Finally, last but not least, I would like to thank my coach Ms. Terri Arredondo.

Thank you for not only being my coach, but also for being someone I can talk to when I feel conflicted about things I can’t mention to anyone else. You’re the reason I get to go to State in the first place and I could’ve never made it without you or anyone else I’m thanking.

As a state-qualifier, I’m nervous, but excited. I am proud that I have gotten this far. I will write the best I can, not only for myself, but for everyone who got me there. I would highly recommend joining Power of the Pen next year, especially for the experiences. I have many fond memories from it, and room 123 will always have a special place in my heart. I wish that others could feel the overwhelming happiness that I do, so please, consider joining next year. Ms. Arredondo will get bored if she doesn’t have someone to yell at to get off of the floor.


State competition for Power of the Pen will be held at Rooster College on May 25 and May 26, 2017. Three students from Chillicothe Middle School will be traveling for competition: Abby Sims Clark, Ella Cushman, and Heaven James.