An article entitled "Pupils Persevere" covered the front page of Madison's local newspaper in February 2005. Highlighting the plight of four alternative programs in Madison's public school system, the article both angered and pleased students at this school. Although the central point of the front-page article was a plea for a larger physical facility to house all four alternative programs, the article profiled several students who were currently attending Affiliated Alternatives. The following week, the paper ran a letter to the editor that responded to the front-page feature story. This letter focused exclusively on Affiliated Alternatives' School Age Parent program and was written by a gentleman, Jim Kubek, who had lived in the community of Madison for several years. Mr. Kubek had strong opinions about how he felt the school was enabling students in making poor choices in their lives. Kubek's letter caused great uproar among students at Affiliated Alternatives. Paper in hand, three students burst into Bob Schaefer's third-hour English class the day of the letter's printing with lots to say. Writing a letter to the editor was not a lesson that was "planned" by Schaefer. Instead, it arose as an important site for learning within Affiliated Alternatives' English curriculum. Schaefer embraced this authentic writing activity and prompted students to write a letter to the editor. Affiliated Alternatives students' letter to the editor has several implications for future writing instruction not just with students deemed as being "at risk," but with all students. Through an examination of the students' letter, it is clear that the students were able to make and support claims that are complex and multidimensional. Through the process of crafting their letter, they were able to position themselves in dialogue with Kubek as well as in dialogue with societal views concerning teen motherhood. Looking closely at this particular writing activity demands that educators examine the ways all students respond to more than just the "formal," dictated curriculum. As shown in this example, opportunities such as writing a letter to the editor exist as crucial sites for educators' examination, as these are the authentic activities that frequently stress student "action" and response in the classroom. (Contains 1 note.)