Classroom turns newsroom to produce 'Friendship Today'
Students at Friendship Junior High have made publishing part of their day with a new class. The goal: make the Friendship Today newspaper come to life.
This spring, seventh and eighth grade students have populated this publication with their own story ideas, which require them to conduct research, choose photos, craft articles, and go through a submission process. Topics range from current events, issues impacting the school, staff and athletics features, and personal interests of the students.
“I’m writing about how technology has improved the school system,” said Riya, an eighth grade student. “We’ve gone from primarily physical books to online books and can do even more of our work from home.”
Riya said the issues or events that students at Friendship actually face make for the easiest topics because they can draw on personal experiences in their writing. She, along with her classmate, Mayra, is responsible for the layout and design of the final product.
“I’ve submitted recipes in each issue because some people may not want to try different things, but if they see these in there and the steps to do it, they may change their mind and want to try some new cooking,” she said.
The class is part of W.I.N., or What I Need, which is a dedicated time block added to the schedules at Friendship, Grove, and Holmes Junior High for this year with the goal of providing enrichment opportunities and support in areas tailored to students’ individual needs.
Students said they selected this class in particular because of the new experience it provides and how it differentiates from the rest of their schedule.
“There is a lot of freedom in this class to pick what we want to do,” added Riya.
The class is currently working on its third and final edition of the paper, which will be out before the end of the school year.
“I have been so impressed with all the students’ efforts this semester,” said Christine Ciringione, an instructional coach who leads the class. “Many kids chose to write about things they cared about, and that showed up in their writing. They were amazing at meeting the article deadlines., and the lead designers were committed to producing the best-looking product they could. They are very dedicated!
