The Southern Nevada Writing Project is celebrating its 25th anniversary as a National Writing Project site on Saturday, October 17 from 9-3 at the Bennett Professional Development Center on the UNLV campus. In the morning teachers representing years will come together to write, share writing, renew acquaintances, and reconnect to talk about the teaching of writing. At the end of the morning we will be submitting writing to the National Gallery of Writing.

An afternoon reception will include a program featuring Dr. Leon Coburn, founding director; Rosemary Holmes-Gull, immediate past director; Marilyn McKinney, current director; Congresswoman Dina Titus, co-sponsor of the House Resolution to declare October 20 the National Day on Writing; several children and families who have participated in SNWP's Family Writing Project; Vicki Norby, Advanced Technologies teacher speaking about the impact of SNWP on her as a writer and teacher; Beverly Mathis, Booker Elementary School Principal, who will speak about the influence of the writing project at the school level; and Dr. Paul LeMahieu, Director of Research and Evaluation, National Writing Project.

Established in 1984 at UNLV, the SNWP has supported over 400 teachers through its invitational summer institutes and other programming. One of 200 National Writing Project (NWP) sites serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, that work in partnership with local schools to offer high-quality professional development centered around the teaching of writing. SNWP serves teachers across disciplines and at all levels, early childhood through university. We provide professional development, develop resources, generate research, and act on knowledge to improve the teaching of writing and learning in schools and in the community.

Our work in the greater Las Vegas area has improved literacy education by transforming teachers, students and schools, through quality professional development experiences, ongoing teacher leadership opportunities, youth education programs, and ongoing research. The NWP is the only federally funded program that focuses on the teaching of writing. Support for the NWP is provided by the U.S. Department of Education, foundations, corporations, universities, and K-12 schools. Support for SNWP is provided by the state of Nevada through UNLV.