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Middle School Makes Headlines With New Student Newspaper

12/16/2022

When it comes to learning, striving, daring and doing, Lily Zuckerman ’24 is a true example of the School’s mission.

Zuckerman was in seventh grade when she was in search of a journalistic outlet to express her views about the School’s dress code, but discovered there were none available. Now a seasoned upper school student journalist, the junior is giving middle school students a forum for their thoughts by helping them launch a middle school newspaper.

“As I gained more experience from working on two different newspapers, I figured that I was ready to start a newspaper in the Middle School at Masters,” said the current Tower features editor and student reporter for the local newspaper The Highlands Current.

The Middle School Tower Newspaper course is being offered this winter as part of the Masters After-School Classroom (MASC) program. Led by faculty advisor and middle school humanities teacher Stephen Hildreth with guidance from Zuckerman and Tower staff member Rooke Wiser ’25, the 10 seventh and eighth grade students are learning the basics of journalism and newspaper design, including the art of the interview and Associated Press (AP) style-writing.

Hildreth called Zuckerman “the driving force” and is impressed with what he has seen from everyone in the first three meetings. “We in the Middle School are excited,” he said. “The students participating are smart, motivated and focused.”

Future op-ed writer Dara Akinwande ’27 is thrilled to get started with her first opinion piece. “Ever since sixth grade I’ve been asking Ms. Elsbach if we could have a newspaper club and it’s finally happening this year, thanks to the Upper School.”

Hildreth explained the plan is to “hit the ground running come January. We plan to print one issue before March and two after spring break.”

Though the paper has yet to be named, Zuckerman is looking forward to having students start writing articles. “It will be special to see all of the articles we compile produced in print,” she said. “I am grateful that this idea was able to happen so fast. I thought of it in the summer and planned in the fall for it to start in the winter term.”