By Emma Shub

Most schools, both public and private, have a school newspaper. All across the country, there are groups of students who have dedicated their time to writing for their schools official newspaper or magazine. There are many students working to develop content, and immerse themselves in student-led initiatives. 

Students often choose to write for their school’s newspaper because they enjoy writing, or are interested in ways that they can become involved with their school community. No matter the reason, it has been proven that being a writer or editor for a newspaper is an invaluable experience. Being a writer or editor teaches important literature skills, and can strengthen one’s confidence as a writer. 

The Beaver Reader is a newspaper run by Beaver Country Day School students. The club  meets twice a week during the school day, and welcomes any upper school students who are interested in writing or producing media to be posted on www.beaverreader.com. Each year, new students join, while others return to continue their previous work. The Beaver Reader attracts students each year as it is a phenomenal experience that is both engaging and rewarding. Within the Beaver Reader students have endless opportunities for what they can work on and achieve. Students are not limited to a single topic or genre of work, and are encouraged to produce a variety of articles, videos, and podcasts. 

As the number of school newspapers increase across the country, there is discussion amongst students and teachers about whether or not there should be a school newspaper database. Individuals in school settings believe that there should be a homebase for students’ excellent work, and institutions should be given the opportunity to collaborate with one another. While such programs are difficult to assemble and maintain, students from the Massachusetts area have expressed an interest in this idea as they are eager to get in touch with students beyond their community.

While this is a relatively new idea, and has not received much coverage, do you feel that a community database would be a positive addition to schools, particularly Beaver? Do you have interest in reading the work of other students? Do you feel that the Beaver Reader would be more successful in their work if the writers had an opportunity to discuss with other students? School newspapers are constantly evolving, and these are questions we are all asking ourselves as the school year comes to a close. If this idea is noticed by administrators from different schools, it is entirely possible that the face of school newspapers could change.