Our high school PawPrint newspaper is the voice of our school. My students walk into our class newsroom every day eager to take on stories that push themselves and challenge their peers. They text, type and talk constantly, (at all hours of the day!) bouncing ideas off one another and working as a team to create a paper that unites our school and community.
Despite the incredible financial challenge of being a completely student-funded program, the PawPrint teens are driven to write fresh stories that bring our school together.
This program provides students real-world opportunities beyond the classroom. Many of my PawPrint staffers interview local and national reporters to better understand the responsibilities of the job. They have also reached out to advertising and communications specialists to learn how a strong background in writing and media can lead to a career in other fields.
These students have an incredible passion for their paper, and many use their experiences with the paper to decide on future college and career paths. With only a minimal current budget, receiving funding in support of the PawPrint program would enormously benefit the PawPrint students, the paper's readers, and the greater community the paper serves.
My Project
My students need a HP Desktop PC processor and monitor that supports the kind of software that produces a quality, 21st-century student online newspaper publication. We currently have only two modern computers, but these serve 30+ students per class period. The kids are unable to get their work done properly and in a timely fashion, nor are they able to collaborate together efficiently to produce a high quality paper product. These kids need more access to tech that will allow them to create a newspaper that is both on par with the newspapers other area schools are producing and also representative of 21st-century tech education.
Receiving additional processors and monitors would literally change the future of our newspaper program.
It would give the kids a chance to learn software such as InDesign and Photoshop, as well as enable the students to collaborate in order to produce a paper and online presence that they are truly proud to call their own.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Kious and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
