Students Publish Books for Project

Jay Locher pushed his English students to write with passion about their lives as sophomores at Ventura High School.

They responded, and their work explored a variety of experiences, some sublime and some ordinary, but all poignant in some way.

Locher’s 34 students were required to write and publish a book about their year as part of their final project for his class.

“My writing appears on an Internet Web site,” said Stephen Israel, 15. “I wrote a random autobiography and a poem about the journey we take in life and what has changed over the year. This is definitely the most interesting project I’ve ever done in school.”

Katy O’Brien read selections from her book, “What Washed Ashore,” about being drawn to the ocean. She said Locher’s class is not what she expected from an honors English course, which blends art and literature and creative writing.

“I’ve enjoyed this class because it has allowed me to go beyond the boundaries and regulations of writing,” said Katy, 16. “More of my creativity has been unleashed. It has also made me see people individually instead of as a group. It has opened my eyes to what others can create and the possibilities of what I can create.”

On Friday, the students read selections from their books at the Garden Village Cafe and answered questions from other students. The presentations were videotaped for broadcast on local cable television.

“This is their final exam. I wanted my students to learn about storytelling by telling about their own journey,” Locher said. “I wanted them to tell the story as if they were in the shoes of the hero. They are the hero and the storyteller on the journey.”