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Patch Whiz Kid of the Week: Joanna Damiani

This week, Marple Newtown Patch spoke with Joanna Damiani, a soon-to-be eighth grader at Paxon Hollow Middle School and an aspiring poet.

Each week, Marple Newtown Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and even sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments. This week, we highlight soon-to-be eighth grader Joanna Damiani of Paxon Hollow Middle School for being a scholarship recipient for a summer poetry writing and literature program.

Patch Whiz Kid of the Week: Joanna Damiani

Whiz Kid's Age: 13

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Whiz Kid's School:

Whiz Kid's Accomplishment: The summer Youth Programs are sponsored by the Pennsylvania Writing and Literature Project (PAWLP) of West Chester University, where select school districts in the Delaware Valley and several private locations participate in the program. Joanna was a scholarship recipient for this program. All students contribute to self-selected writing to a literary anthology. PAWLP, a National Writing Project site, is a professional network of teachers who promote student achievement through quality instruction. All directors, site coordinators, and teachers are Fellows of the National Writing Project as well as experienced classroom teachers.

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Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness: Earlier this month, Joanna participated int he PAWLP program, where she went to learn to read and write poetry and literature throughout the morning for several days because she wanted to.

"It was really good," recalled Joanna about the program. "It was really inspirational and our teacher gave us a lot of ideas for poetry."

Though she's fairly new to poetry, Joanna believes it's one of her favorite hobbies and she just happened to pick it up one day when she was in Reading Specialist Dorie Martin's sixth-grade class. Martin was probably one of Joanna's most influential people in her lives, helping her and encouraging her to read more and write more.

"Reading is one of my favorite subjects, and my favorite teacher Mrs. [Dorie] Martin was my teacher. Before I was in her class, I didn't really read that good but she helped me a lot," shared Joanna. "She definitely helped me open that door for reading and writing. She was the best thing that ever happened to me. Without her, I wouldn’t have this talent."

And so, Joanna began writing on her spare time, particularly poetry, on daily happenings that occurred in her life.

"I just write whatever happens in my life," explained Joanna. "Probably dramatic events of my life had really helped me write some poetry. Sometimes when someone feels sad, they write poetry—and I think I do that sometimes."

Besides real life, Joanna finds her inspiration through favorite works from John Keats and Penny From Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm. If she isn't writing poetry, you can find Joanna singing and writing her own songs.

Joanna said she hopes to continue writing poetry as she goes through school and would love to be a part of PAWLP again next year if she had the opportunity. Although she aspires to be a published author someday, Joanna also has a passion for caring for animals and has an interest in veterinary care.

Editor's note: Know a great kid who made Eagle Scout or did your local soccer team take the championship? They may be our next Patch Whiz Kid honoree. We want to hear about these amazing children and teens and select one each week as the Patch Whiz Kid.


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