Middle School Launches Newspaper

A group of Middle School students has decided to start a newspaper for their division. “The idea of starting a club was what fueled our idea of beginning a newspaper,” says Camilla MacMichael, 7th grader and co-leader of the club. 

Isa Salgado Manso, fellow 7th grader and co-leader, adds that it was “communication and collaboration” that led them to form it.

The club is made up of mostly 6th and 7th graders, many of whom have previous experience with journalism in elementary school. “I also ran the newspaper at my old school, and had a good experience doing it,” says MacMichael. 

Blue Simjee, 7th grader and co-leader of the club, had a less positive experience. She says, “I started a newspaper in third, fourth, and fifth grade for lower school here…[It] was really fun, but it was hard because no teachers supported it, and only two other people were helping me do it.”

This time around, the newspaper has had more success. The club has more than ten members, and the help of faculty advisor Saya McKenna.

Already diligently working on their first issue, the club is trying to make Middle-School-specific news more accessible to their community. The group intends to start publication online.

MacMichael says, “There’s not enough information broadcasted…what students are looking for is an easy way to access recent news that’s in detail, and reflects them and is important to them.” 

But the club is not only focused on the production of their newspaper. McKenna says, “It’s partly about production but it’s also about learning about the process of production.”

The club hopes to publish at least once a month, with articles ranging from news and sports, to opinions, features, and recommendations.