Birth Of A Student Newspaper

These fifth graders produced “The Murch Blue & Gold” newspaper.

Toiling under this commandment: Thou Shalt Not Bore the Reader, nine Murch Elementary students reported, edited and produced a newspaper in the last couple of months of the school year.

“It was a fine pioneering effort for our 5th grade kids, I think,” their editor and co-adviser, Aaron Epstein, told us in an email. “They are justifiably proud of their work.”

Our readers can share in their pride. The Blue and Gold has given Forest Hills Connection permission to share its articles with you. Look for these articles throughout the summer. And in the next school year, we can look forward to more fine reporting from the 2013-14 Murch fifth grade class.

Here is an introductory piece from Vol. 1 No. 1.:

When 5th graders heard in March that there would be a new student newspaper at Murch, they eagerly filled out job application forms.

“I’ve always wanted to be a writer and if I start now I’ll be a great one by middle school,” one student wrote.

Wrote another: “I love seeing my dad smile when he writes. I want to follow in his footsteps.”

And so The Blue & Gold, as the student staff decided to call the paper, was created.

The idea for a student publication came from Aaron Epstein, a retired professional reporter and editor who had founded the first DC public elementary school paper at Janney in 2010. With the principal’s enthusiastic support, Mr. Epstein chose nine 5th graders to form a newspaper staff.

The kid journalists met weekly during their lunch period, learned the fundamentals of reporting, wrote stories, and prepared the paper you are reading now.