Florence Academy of Fine Arts
Creative Writing
About
The Pen is Mightier than the Sword!
The Florence Academy of Fine Arts Creative Writing Program is taught as a college-level program, with individual projects, workshops, and writing competitions.
The national standards set by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association are the standards for individual projects, contest pieces, and publication pieces.
Students engage in analyses of original work, including peer and self-editing. Roundtable discussion groups and Socratic Circles encourage and support the creative process.
Creative writing projects include free-verse and fixed-verse poetry, prose, creative non-fiction, scholarly essays, short stories of all genres, one-act plays, novellas, and novels. Formal and informal conferences between the instructor and the student happen weekly. Students write, edit, design, and produce.
Meet the Instructor
Vanessa McCulloch
Bio
Vanessa McCulloch teaches Creative Writing and English at Florence High School. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from the University of Mississippi with concentrations in Special Education and secondary endorsements in English and Social Studies. She also earned a Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction from Purdue University with a concentration in Gifted Learning, and a Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Educational Technology from the University of Florida.
This is Ms. McCulloch’s seventh year in education, with experience teaching a wide range of grade levels across multiple disciplines. In her Creative Writing courses, she emphasizes student voice, confidence, and the development of authentic expression through writing. She is passionate about helping students recognize their creative strengths and believe in their ability to produce meaningful, original work. Ms. McCulloch also serves as advisor for the school’s literary magazine, working to expand opportunities for student publication and creative collaboration.