BREAKING NEWS
University Elementary students wrap up final edition of school paper
As the school year inches toward closure, some students at University Elementary were rushing to beat a different deadline last week: the day when stories were due for their second and final edition of the Unicorn Press newspaper.
After school on Tuesday the students were writing and editing their work. “If it’s not here by Friday, it’s not going to make it,” said fourth-grade teacher and newspaper adviser Larry Beck, who heads up the program with academic support teacher Vickie Dawson.
The idea to start a school newspaper didn’t come up until midyear. “We wanted to do something with the kids who wanted to do more with writing,” he said.
The first edition in March attracted 11 students in the fourth and fifth grades. “They’ve been pretty committed the whole time,” he said. “They do a lot of interviews about current topics that are important to them.”
The school is selling pizza coupons to raise money to cover printing costs, and the first edition included two ads.
The first edition also included a crossword puzzle, a cartoon, a mystery teacher profile and short interviews with notable students. An enterprising reporter scored an interview with Central Valley Superintendent Ben Small about all the snow days in January and another interviewed Small about the future of the WASL.
Fifth-grader Cassandra Ford, who serves as co-editor in chief, wrote an interview of the popular book “Twilight” for the inaugural newspaper. “I loved it,” she said. “It’s an amazing book. I’ve read the whole series.”
On Tuesday she was polishing up a Q-and-A with fifth-graders about their upcoming move to middle school. “A lot of them are excited about going to a new school, but they don’t like having P.E. every day.”
Ford volunteered to be co-editor because she likes to read what her fellow reporters have written before it hits the press. “It’s like a sneak peek,” she said.
Fourth-grader Kylee Hughes said she would love to be on the newspaper staff next year. “I like writing and keeping track on news and what’s going on,” she said.
Students had to fill out an application and go through interviews to be accepted for the program. Beck was looking for responsible, independent students who would be able to work on their own. The students are responsible for brainstorming ideas for stories. “They have to find time to do their interviews,” Beck said.
The writers meet once a week after school to work on the newspaper. Beck said he’d like to bring the program back next year. “The kids loved it,” he said. “I think it has made them more involved. I think they benefit from it.”
Scholarship awards
•The Spokane Valley Rotary Club has announced the winners of four $750 scholarships. The winners are: Alexandra Norris, University High School; Clinton Slovarp, West Valley High School; Patrick Croskrey, Central Valley High School; and Ryan Dubois, University High School.
This year the group also awarded a $500 Al Stevens Music Scholarship to Michael Landkammer of Rogers High School.
•The Friends of Pavillion Park in Liberty Lake also recently announced the winners of several scholarships. All awards were for $500 unless otherwise indicated.
The winners are: Katherine Termath, Central Valley High School, $1,500 Elmer Schneidmiller Community Leadership Award; David Wang, Central Valley High School, President’s Award; Natalie Block, CV; Kyle Brown, CV; Abby Gehrett, CV; Nick Marquiss, East Valley High School; and Jason Walker, CV.