Mighty Writers Announces Back-To-School Pep Rally, September 9

Mighty Writers will hold their first-ever back-to-school pep rally open to all Philadelphia students on Saturday, September 9. From 1:00-2:30pm, hundreds of students will congregate at the Academy at Palumbo High School (1100 Catharine Street) to interact with a whole host of special guests. Philadelphia Poet Laureate Yolanda Wisher, rapper Chill Moody, the 76ers' official drumline West Powelton, comedian Chris Cotton, the I Am Phresh dance crew, Solomon Jones from WURD, and more guests to be announced will give speeches and performances to get the children excited for the start of the school year. Mina SayWhat of Power 99 will MC the event.

Students and parents can register to attend the free rally here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-mighty-writers-back-to-school-pep-rally-tickets-36725539076

Philadelphia Magazine this month named Mighty Writers "Best of Philly," saying "The Mighty Writers mission - teaching kids to think clearly so they can write clearly and thus express themselves clearly - seems more relevant than ever." Founded in 2009 by journalist Tim Whitaker, Mighty Writers has grown from teaching 250 kids a year to 2,500 in 2017. Their free writing classes on diverse topics such as fake news and immigration have earned them recent acclaim from The New Yorker, NPR, and Buzzfeed.

Photos, links and more info:

http://shorefire.com/client/mighty-writers

About Mighty Writers:

Mighty Writers was founded in 2009 with the mission to teach kids to think clearly and write with clarity. The organization offers free programs for students from elementary through high school at centers in four diverse Philadelphia neighborhoods, including one bilingual location for Spanish-speaking students. Mighty Writers offers daily afterschool academies, long- and short-term writing classes nights and weekends, teen scholar programs, mentorships, College Prep courses and college essay writing classes. Over 400 of the city’s best creative minds (writers, teachers, journalists, etc.) teach 150 writing classes a year to 2,500 kids at Mighty Writers annually.

Founder and executive director Tim Whitaker began his career teaching fifth and sixth grade in Philadelphia before becoming a writer and editor. He was the editor of Philadelphia Weekly (1994-2008), and previously the editor of PhillySport and Pittsburgh magazines. Whitaker was a head writer at NBC Radio and has written for The New York Times, Washington Post and Philadelphia Inquirer.