Almost any Aleph or BBG, except 8th graders, can tell you what it is like to be in high school. In fact, if you ask 100 different people, you would probably receive 100 different answers on what it means to be a high schooler. With each school possessing differing social dynamics, education standards, and overall experiences, it can be hard to get an accurate account generalizing anything about the affairs of high school. Yet there is a commonality between a select group of high schoolers that distinguishes their perception of school: they write for the school newspaper.

“Working on the school newspaper gives the staff a different perspective of the school,” Sarah Sheinker, a senior in DC Council and co-editor of her school’s newspaper, says. “It allows us to explore all areas of the school: students, teachers, administration, clubs, sports, etc.”

While the average student might view what happens in the hallways with a passing interest, the student journalists who make up newspaper staffs in computer labs and classrooms across the globe see everything that goes on from their own angle. Who just angrily stormed out of a teacher’s classroom? Why is there an ambulance parked in front of the school? What caused our principal to announce that an issue has been resolved? All these questions, things that would not affect a normal student in the slightest, are standard for those who inquire about the truth, then publish their account of that truth for their school community to read.

Jordyn Green, another senior in DC Council, agrees with that sentiment. “Writing for the newspaper gives me a more active role in my school,” she says. “Instead of just going to school every day and waiting for the final bell to ring, I am playing an active role in the community and helping to educate the people around me.”

The difference that writing for a school newspaper can make is profound to those who experience it. It can extend not only to having a greater appreciation for one’s school community but for their greater surroundings as well.

Jenna Bloom, a junior in DC Council, says that “being in the school newspaper has taught me that every school has its own climate and personality, and it is important to appeal to that as a writer and a journalist. It has taught me that small things make a big impact.”

Writing for the school newspaper, whether as part of a Journalism class or after-school activity, helps students see the wider perspective of events around them, whether that be on school grounds or not. However, this perspective makes these people very interesting to interact with, so try to have a conversation with a writer today!