Central Jersey Arts Charter School isn’t the typical school that would be found in a tough neighborhood in Plainfield, New Jersey. The arts-themed charter school was the central focus of a heated debate when it made its 2006 debut, but has been helping produce an alternative atmosphere for students that other schools in the area could not provide. In producing creative and new innovations, Lori Loredo, the 8^th grade Language Arts for the school, brought the power of Six-Word Memoirs to her students.

Once the idea of students producing Six-Word Memoirs caught fire, it became more than a writing exercise and spurned its own technology project. The final product became a video of the students’ Six-Word Memoirs that was displayed during the school’s graduation, the first time that Six-Words have had such a starring role at a commencement (as far as we know). From the inspirational (“Life’s like a theme, you decide…” by Emely) to the impactful (“Live life like a paper plane” by Sewayne), the video (below) does an amazing job of both providing a snapshot into the lives of the students and innovating the high school graduation experience.

Teacher Lori Loredo is still using Six-Word Memoirs to help her 8^th grade students. Her own Six-Word Memoir? “Determined to make difference. Won’t quit.”

Tags: schools, six-word memoirs