826 Boston opens newest Writers' Room at the Margarita Muñiz Academy

The Margarita Muñiz Academy on Child Street in Jamaica Plain celebrated the opening of the newest 826 Boston Writers’ Room. The Muñiz Academy is Boston's first dual language high school.

The 826 Boston Writers’ Room serves students during and after the school day with individualized attention that improves writing skills and fosters creative self-expression. The rooms are financially supported by donations and grants to the nonprofit 826 Boston, which manages and staffs each Writers' Room.

The school is named after Margarita Muñiz, who spent 39 years in the Boston Public Schools, 30 of them as the Principal of the Rafael Hernández School, a dual language school in Massachusetts. Margarita died after a long and valiant battle with cancer.

Although the Writers’ Room now has a permanent space beside the Muñiz’ library, 826 Boston has partnered with the Muñiz since its inception a decade ago.

826 Boston is currently raising funds for its next Writers’ Room at New Mission High School in Hyde Park, which will celebrate its own ribbon cutting ceremony in 2025.

826 Boston Writers’ Rooms deliver long-term change in the lives of students, serving students during and after the school day with individualized attention that improves writing skills and fosters creative self-expression. With a focus on publishing, improving writing skills, and project-based learning, the Writers’ Room uses trained volunteer tutors and full-time dedicated staff to unlock students’ full potential.

Over the course of a school year, the Writers’ Room will serve nearly every student in the school through whole-class visits, individual writing assistance, and/or after-school extracurricular activities.

Writers’ Rooms are open from Monday through Thursday. Program offerings roll out in phases and will be provided based on each school’s identified needs.

The 826 Boston team has supported every graduating class at the Muñiz Academy and has helped publish five student-authored publications, including Attendance Would Be 100%, I Closed My Eyes and Imagined, Distintas Identidades, Distintas Historias, La Voz de Mis Memorias, and Tales From the Darkness.

Since 2007, 826 Boston's tutoring center in Egleston Square has offered free writing, tutoring, and publishing services to students from kindergarten through high school.

The flagship chapter of 826 National opened its doors at 826 Valencia St. in San Francisco. Founded in 2002 by internationally acclaimed author Dave Eggers and award-winning educator Nínive Calegari, 826 Valencia inspired a network of creative writing and tutoring centers now nine cities strong: Boston, San Francisco, Ann Arbor/Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New Orleans, New York City, and Washington, D.C. The 826 National office was established in 2008 to serve the growing educational network by providing strategic leadership, administration, and other resources to ensure the success of the 826 network.