Ninjas are among us in Etowah’s student-run Writing Across the Curriculum Center (WACC), a learning facility only three schools in Georgia have.  

Located in building B of Etowah East, the WACC opened two years ago. English teachers Heather Barton, Shaina Anderson, and Adam Forrest advise the WACC, and Etowah juniors and seniors run it. Student directors this year are Anna Henderson, senior, and Spencer Hayes, senior. 

“I really love being a ninja because I get the chance to get to know people at this school I never would’ve met otherwise and work on something together that I’m passionate about. It also has helped my writing grow through helping others,” Ansley Cartwright, senior, said.  

The WACC is meant for students to peer advise them with their class assignments. Peer feedback trumps teacher feedback because students are more likely to listen to what their fellow students have to say. Whether for literature or science, WACC students can help in any content area. Before becoming a ninja, WACC students are required to watch multiple training videos, observe a WACC session with a returning member, and complete a session with a WACC veteran observing. 

“We support our peers,” Henderson said. 

Many colleges throughout the country have WACCs, and they are highly coveted jobs for on-campus students to obtain. By Etowah students becoming ninjas, they can apply to work in their colleges centers, a job not many freshmen are required to have.  

“We have two graduated Etowah students working in their colleges’ WACC,” Barton said.  

Students can make an appointment for the WACC by going to Etowah’s homepage, clicking the media center tab under “students.” Students must sign in with their computer login information, to arrange a meeting with a ninja. The WACC is open during lunch, and before and after school. Sessions are broken into 15 or 30-minute increments.