Just the small journalism unit in fourth grade led to the big creation of an unforeseen student-led middle school newspaper. Co-editor in chief Gabriel Shen ‘30 explained “I like being part of something bigger and seeing it grow throughout the years.” The paper has no connection with the high school’s. It is entirely self run by a handful of dedicated middle school student leaders, making it a remarkable feat for a middle school club. In the fourth grade journalism unit, co-editor in chief Lily Borofsky ‘30 said, “We had our newspaper unit, [and] so everyone wrote an article and we cut them and glued them onto this big sheet of paper that looks like a newspaper. And then [the] next year, we all thought it was super fun, so we wanted to continue it.” Although just a middle school newspaper, a lot of work and dedication goes into the writing and the design, meeting once a week during X-block to publish four issues a year. The paper includes arts, culture, food, travel, science, sports, and games, among other sections.
“I feel really proud of [the] kids,” says advisor Kayla Nussbaum. “I take very little responsibility for the quality of work that they’re producing.”
One focus has been to include more interviews for the paper. “[Interviewing] [is] a skill that we’ve been working on, trying to get folks to send emails to other students or to even go out and talk to other students and get direct quotes…the more perspectives they can get on an issue [the better],” shared Nussbaum. Managing Editor Georgia Doar ‘31 corroborates how an important part of the work is voicing “voices that otherwise might not be heard. A lot of the time it’s the same people [getting] interviewed…so I want to get different people’s opinions.”
The other main goal is attempting to support the longevity of the paper, especially after Borovsky and Shen move to the high school. To Shen, “The main thing is that when we graduate in eighth grade…we [want it] to still continue in the middle school. So one of our goals is to make it strong enough that students will continue to make the Blake Bear Bugle.”
“Clubs come and go in our middle school and they’re driven by student interests. This isn’t a class…no one’s getting credit for it. It’s based on strong student interest right now, and if there continues to be strong student interest in putting out a paper, I’ll continue to be the faculty advisor, said Ms. Nussbaum. “If there’s not, that’s okay. I’m never going to assign articles [or] lay out the paper for them…And a beautiful thing about middle school is that we support what the kids have [an] interest in, which changes, and that’s fine.”
The Bugle recently earned national recognition in the Junior High/Middle School National Media Contest. On May 15, they were awarded with excellent in the infographic category and an honorable mention in the front page layout category.
The story of the Bugle certainly isn’t finished, and whether it will last for years to come is to be seen. But as Nussbaum described, “These kids are doing a really good job…I think that there’s a tight-knit group of kids who are really dedicated to it [who] have a lot of expertise and a lot of passion for journalism.” Shen mentioned building connections with the fourth-grade teachers running the unit that started it all and teaching younger kids skills to help support the future.
Regardless of what happens, as Shen said, “We’re super proud because we’ve come a long way.”
