By Elizabeth Lowe
Staff Writer
Goodrich — Rachel Giza, 12, sits intently typing at her keyboard, hidden among three rows of computers glowing in a semi-hushed room. She’s up against a deadline.
The student news room is located in the computer lab of Goodrich Middle School, where staffers of the GMS Press bring the student perspective to the written media.
Rachel’s enterprising stories include how to choose a pet from the Humane Society, a comparison between the number of U.S. and other countries’ school days, and a student poll of school picture satisfaction, complete with a graph.
“(The staffers) usually choose the stories,” said Vicki Kehoe, newspaper adviser.
Alex Kovalsky, 11, chose his story; deciding to write his observations on litter. Leslie Talbot, 12, was inspired to write about the Halloween dress code when she couldn’t find a published version of the special code last year.
“I went to Dr. Lawerson,” she said.
Kehoe often gives suggestions, and story ideas may be tweaked by the advisor, the principal, or the two student editors. It’s not so much a matter of censoring ideas as filtering out excessive silliness that makes its way onto the screens, Kehoe says.
Rose Novak, 13, now edits for the GMS Press. She especially likes laying out the pages with publishing software. A three-year staffer, she’s worked on all aspects of the paper.
“We try to put in a variety of stories, try to make it so a variety of personalities can read it,” Rose said.
The 12-page color-front newspaper is published monthly, available by subscription. Student staffers take photos, conduct interviews, take polls, compile graphs, review movies, books, and video games, and churn out their stories for other students and teachers to the tune of $4 per year or $5 for a family subscription.
The newspaper started nearly nine years ago, said Kehoe, after a student initiated its start-up. No students who want to become staff writers are turned away, although the eighth-grade editors were hand-chosen.
Some staffers, like Rachel, are already considering a newspaper career.
What does she like best about working for the paper?
“Thinking up ideas,” she said.