The Jefferson Journalism Club has been working to help keep students and families informed by creating the “Jaguar Journal”, a merger of the school’s newspaper and newsletter. Pictured, clockwise, with advisors Katie Andalora and Cassidy Siebert, standing, are Nadia Sigler, Ahnicka Ernewein, Arieanna Kirschman, Max Miley, Jackson Cornell, Jaxon Fred, Gracie Chadwick-Hartman, and Asher Jacques.

Katie Andalora and Cassidy Siebert both began teaching at Jefferson Middle School early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We noticed there was a lack of communication between the students we were working with on a daily basis, the families we weren’t able to meet in person with, and the community at large,” said Andalora, a reading teacher at Jefferson.

The solution? A journalism club for students aimed at combining the school’s newspaper with its monthly newsletter.

“Cassidy and I decided that co-advising this club could help bridge that communication gap while also allowing the students to use their voices, as well as learn different approaches to creative writing styles that will help them in their daily lives,” Andalora added.

“We thought a journalism club would provide our students with real-world experiences and connections that would support them in improving their writing and communication skills,” said Siebert, a fifth grade teacher at Jefferson, who also noted it would provide a new opportunity for students to get involved.

“As a school, it is our goal to have at least 60 percent of our student body participate in an extracurricular activity,” Siebert added. “Creating a journalism club provides an additional opportunity for students to participate in an extracurricular activity that may connect to their interests and/or skill set.”

Together with their students, Andalora and Siebert work to brainstorm story ideas, use a graphic organizer to plan out their stories on paper, use Google Docs to compose stories, and go through an editing, revising, and publishing process.

The “Jaguar Journal” is shared with families via TalkingPoints and on the school’s Facebook page (found by searching “Jefferson Middle School”) on the first of each month — but the work doesn’t end there, and so much more is planned for the rest of the school year.

“In addition to students participating in creating the Jaguar Journal, we also plan on including students in creating content for a variety of other platforms,” Siebert said. “Students will also get the opportunity to work on digital media, too. After students become more familiar with the process of writing and editing the Jaguar Journal, we plan to have students participate in creating content for our school’s social media accounts.”

They even have a fun activity planned to help students learn how to conduct interviews like professional reporters.

“Students will choose a staff member to interview, create a ‘fun fact’ list to present in the display window outside our main office, and other students will then have to guess which staff member was interviewed that week,” Siebert said. “This provides our journalism students with an opportunity to practice interviewing and communication skills, and it allows the entire student body to connect and build relationships with various staff members in our building.”

Thus far, however, both teachers have enjoyed seeing the pride students take in their work.

“They are so eager to share their thoughts and opinions with their learning community and families,” Siebert said. “The students have developed a sense of empowerment through their writing and this has helped them to build greater confidence in their writing abilities.”

“There’s such joy and excitement in a student’s eyes when they see their work being published in the Jaguar Journal,” Andalora said, emphasizing her hope that students will look at writing from a “new perspective.”

“Writing is a way to express and communicate important thoughts and ideas to readers,” she said. “Journalism Club allows students to use their voice, enhance their writing skills, and build relationships with other students.”