Mack Elementary students learning to make a ‘real’ newspaper

By Frances Vanderploeg

Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008 | midnight

Students in Nate Mack Elementary School's Gifted and Talented Education classes are learning how to sniff out news stories and enlighten their fellow students in an effort to start a true-to-life school newspaper.

Teacher Penny Bichsel has worked with students on a newspaper before, but it fell short, looking more like a newsletter, she said. This time, she wants something different, something bigger and, mostly, something better.

The fifth graders are leading the way in the efforts. They'll be in charge of leading the paper, acting as editors, reporters and photographers, and teaching third and fourth graders how to do the same.

So far the students haven't been able to print an issue, but they have a name — the Mountain Lion Monthly — and they are developing several story ideas, including profiles on their favorite teachers, a sports column and an advice column.

Bichsel said she's learning right along with the students.

"How do I get from this to this?" she said, pointing first to articles the students had already typed up to a newspaper put out by a Las Vegas elementary school that looked like a high school-quality paper.

Her goal is to follow in the footsteps of the high school papers, making sure her students put out a quality, completely student-written paper, no matter what it takes.

She's hoping that, if all goes well, they will be able to put out a collective fall edition and then a collective winter edition before winter break. Afterward, she hopes, they will be able to begin putting the paper out monthly.

Frances Vanderploeg can be reached at 990-2660 or [email protected].