Seattle Press on Line - North Beach School Publishes a Newspaper

North Beach School Publishes a Newspaper

By Kelly Ohm, Rebecca Young, Chelsea Kellog

Amanda Henritze, Kayla Erickson and Malcolm Yates discuss new story assignments.

Mar 07, 2001 -- The tension hung in the air at North Beach Elementary School in mid-January. We had three days to produce our first school newspaper, and we fourth- and fifth-graders were the reporters. We had to plan, interview, organize, write and type stories into the computer. "It was very hectic trying to finish my story on time," said Cara Peterson, a fifth grader.

North Beach Communications (NBC) is a new program designed for students to produce a variety of publications, both print and electronic. The program is intended to help students improve their reading, writing, talking, listening, questioning and interviewing skills, and was created by new North Beach principal Nakonia "Niki" Hayes.

"This will eventually help students to become more powerful learners," said Mrs. Hayes.

NBC is a three-year program. Year one--this year--focuses on two projects, a monthly newspaper and a literary magazine. Fourth and fifth graders participate in the producing the newspaper, and all students have the chance to write or submit drawings or cartoons for the literary magazine. Next year students will work with video and digital cameras to create digital yearbooks. In the third year, students write teacher-training curriculum and teaching materials.

The North Beach Chronicle advertising team meets with ad guru Les Neu of The Seattle Press. Left to right: Amanda Henritze, Colin Matthiesen, Neu, Lindsay Brown, Kayla Erickson, Kelsi Thorpe, Spenser Millard, Devon Rensberger, Maddie Grant.

The Making Of The Chronicle

The first issue of The North Beach Chronicle came out on January 25, 2001. All the kids said producing a newspaper was harder than they thought it would be.

Students were under so much pressure to make their deadlines, they wouldn't even talk to each other. Nearly 100 students had to get quotes for their stories, interview people, check their information and write their articles. All this has to be done at the same time. "I thought it was chaotic because everyone was running around in the hallway and people were very noisy," said Spenser Millard, a fifth-grader.

A group of kids went with Seattle Press ad salesman Les Neu to sell advertisements. We sold $425 worth, which was enough to cover the costs of printing 1,000 copies of the Chronicle.

Though the bills were paid, the hard work wasn't over yet. While some kids said they had the most trouble with interviewing, others said it was the writing and editing that was the hardest.

"It was extremely hard to decide which information to use for our articles because our story on enrollment is a very serious matter and it had to be persuasive as well as informative," said Kayla Erickson, a fifth-grader.

Students worked in teams of two to four people. This arrangement helped students to divide up the work, but was also difficult.

"The most challenging part was writing with a partner because you had to make sure that you had shared space in the article for both of your ideas," said fifth-grader Maddie Haller.

Caitlin Loubet-Senear rewrites a news story.

Some students had trouble with reporting. One team that was reporting on the flu bug had to call the health department three times before they could a good quote. "Some people were grumpy about giving us information," noted fifth-grader Clare Lilliston.

Writing for a large audience is a lot harder than writing for just your teacher. The story must not only be clear, but it should also be entertaining so people will read it. "The hardest part was trying to write a story that people will enjoy the whole time," said fifth-grader Malcolm Yates.

The Paper Hits The Street

Tension turned to excitement after the writing was done and the newspaper went into production. Seeing our story on the front page was very exciting. We had worked really hard on it, and we were proud because we knew that everybody else had also worked hard, and that our story was going to be seen first.

We are looking forward to the next issue because the first time is really exciting, and the second time should be even more exciting. It's a big mystery.

The North Beach Chronicle is available for free from North Beach-area businesses, and the second issue is currently in production. If you are interested in advertising, or would like to display copies of the newspaper in your business, please call the school at 706-3840 and ask for Niki Hayes or Leah Kohlenberg.

Kelly Ohm, Rebecca Young and Chelsea Kellogg are fifth-graders at North Beach Elementary School.

Reader Comments

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gayle gray	Aug 18, 2002	seattle	5/6 teacher
I am just beginning to get our elementary's first newspaper up and running. I would love a copy of one of your papers if you have one. I will call the number above to get one. It truly seems like an overwhelming process but seeing your successes has really encouraged me. Thanks.


Jen Robertson	Sep 05, 2003	Colchester,CT	intern teacher
I am very fascinated by your article. I am currently an intern at Colchester Intermediate School in Colchester,CT and I am starting up a school newspaper for fourth and fifth graders. I have never done this before and have absolutely no idea what I am doing. I have gotten some ideas from research but am still confused on how to start. Any suggestions? Who actualy publishes the paper? Does it look like a newspaper or handout? Any advice would be really appreciated. Thank you, Jen Robertson


Secret Admirer	Apr 20, 2004	Seattle	sTUDENT
the girl on the first picture is soo beautiful. I think her name is amanda henrtze. Wow what a hottie.


another secret admirer	Dec 09, 2005
well, i think that the clare-ster is a sexay beast.


another secret admirer	Dec 09, 2005
well, i think that the clare-ster is a sexay beast. her quote was so enlightening - now, with her wisdom i'm going to go live on a mountain and worship Jah. HOLY BOWLING JAH, UNITE! GIVE US FIRE AND CLOTHES AND DRUGS!