St. Xavier provides many services for students to maximize their academic potential. However, one service that often gets overlooked is one of the most helpful: the writing lab. Through the writing lab, students can improve both their papers and their writing skills, making the writing lab one of the most valuable resources St. X offers.

Located in the CMC, the writing lab is a student-run and teacher-supervised class that provides peer editing on essays by some of the top English students in the school. These seniors are hand-picked by their junior English teachers for their abilities as well as their willingness to help. Open all periods of the day, year round, the writing lab is operated by two students and one faculty member each period. The students have years of writing and editing their own essays as well as editing skills honed by their supervisors. With this resource available, students are able to perfect their papers, ensuring a better grade than they could get alone.

Mr. Jed Hilbert, a sophomore honors English teacher and writing lab proctor, emphasizes the utility and convenience of the writing lab, saying, “It is for all classes for any student here at St. Xavier for any essay, both college admission-related or school-related, for any discipline.” Not only does the writing lab focus on writing essays, but Hilbert also notes that it has expertise in citation as well. These qualities make the writing lab a valuable service for St. X students.

Students can bring all kinds of materials to the writing lab to be graded. From standard book reports to college essays, students can address grammatical, stylistic, and thematic errors in their works. Since the writing lab attracts relatively little use, there is always an opportunity for students to better their papers.

However, because the writing lab is only open during the school day, many students believe they don’t have time to utilize this resource. However, the writing lab is easily accessible. Students are allowed to come to the CMC during lunch and study hall periods to get their papers checked. If a student has an especially lenient teacher or their class is taking a work day, many teachers will allow them to go to the writing lab for the period as well. The flexibility of teachers and long lunch periods allow students to use one of St. Xavier’s best resources.