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2023 Austin-Travis County local and national photos


Houston, we have 2023 finalists

Downtown Houston

Congratulations to our Houston-Harris County 2023 National Finalists:

Kayleen S. of Galena Park ISD’s Cunningham Middle School and Edmundo J. of Waller ISD’s Waller Junior High.


2022 Austin/Travis County local & national photos


Houston materials available 9-26-22

Materials for the 2023 Do the Write Thing Challenge will be available online September 26, 2022 for Houston and Harris County.

Click here for Houston/Harris County materials


Congratulations to our 2022 Houston/Harris County Finalists

Rahul Senthil of Pearland Junior High West – Pearland ISD:

Isabella Shaw of St. Martha Catholic School – Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston:


Feelings on bullying in schools

Amely Duran of Lamar CISD’s Briscoe Junior High shares her feelings on bullying in schools.


2021 Houston/Harris County National Finalists

2021 Houston/Harris County National Finalists

Congratulations to our 2021 National Finalists from the Houston/Harris County site:

Kayla Juarez
La Porte ISD

Eli Pascual
Lamar Consolidated ISD


San Antonio DtWT makes the news

KSAT 12 reporter Erica Hernandez featured “Do the Write Thing” San Antonio in a recent report:

The “Do the Write Thing” challenge is giving middle school students across the country the chance to write about how violence has impacted them and what solutions they believe can better help their peers.

57th Civil District Judge Antonia Arteaga helped bring the contest to Bexar County about six years ago and since then more than a thousand essays have been submitted.

“We’ve been able to give children a path, an avenue to express any violence that they want to talk about anything that they feel like they have a solution for because kids come up with some of the best things, ” Arteaga said.


Important Updates for Houston/Harris County 2021

Downtown Houston at night

Essay deadline delayed until FEBRUARY 16, 2021

Due to the ongoing issues some schools are experiencing with alternating between remote and in classroom learning, we have made the decision to accept essays for judging until FEBRUARY 16, 2021.

We do not want any school who wishes their students to participate to feel they cannot because of time and logistic constraints.

For those teachers who use Do the Write Thing as a stand-alone writing assignment and not for judging, we will accept essays through the end of February.

If you have any questions, please contact us at 713-447-4942.

Nearpod tool help

Some have expressed that they are still encountering difficulty gaining access to the Nearpod tool.

If you have already contacted Amber with no luck, text your preferred email address to 713-447-4942 and I will make sure you gain access ASAP.


Welcome to the Do the Write Thing Challenge for 2021!

Downtown Houston

This promises to be a school year that is all about adjustments and accepting new challenges.

Students are going through what is often a traumatic and uncertain period. Do the Write Thing has always been a program that was designed to help students guide their way through a time when they are going through a lot of changes in their lives.

It is not just a program that talks about violence in its many forms; it is one that encourages kids to think about themselves, their actions and how those actions affect others.

With all the recent changes to their schools and way of learning, they are forced to deal with a lack of structure; missing the interaction between themselves, their friends and teachers.

This can lead to frustration and the urge to act out those frustrations in a negative manner.

Do the Write Thing is designed for students to examine their feelings about their world and express themselves in a way that encourages both creativity and freedom of expression. Do the Write Thing essays are evaluated by content alone.

Every month, we will be sending out a newsletter with three new articles and scenarios that can help educators add to the Do the Write Thing discussion.

It will also have the most up-to-date information regarding submissions dates and status of the program.

We also encourage you to visit our Houston-Harris County page for the background of our program along with the Teachers’ Packet, Lesson Plan and all forms. Our Facebook page will also post any up to the minute changes.

SEE THE REST OF OUR NEWSLETTER