Mendon-Upton fourth-graders present 'Newsbreakers' student newspaper to school committee

Fourth-grade students from Buff Elementary told the Mendon-Upton Regional School District school committee on Dec. 1 about their new student newspaper club, Newsbreakers, and how it works.

"My name is Amelia. Good evening, members of the school committee," the student said, introducing the group and describing the club's weekly meetings and writing process. Students said they had to apply by submitting a short story and then learned about headlines, captions and interviews during meetings.

The students shared examples of topics they had written about and described collaborations: "Mason and Austin interviewed our school resource officer, officer Katie Allen," one presenter said, and other students said they had interviewed their principal. The presenters said they hope to distribute the paper digitally, share pieces on morning announcements and possibly create a print edition for families.

The committee praised the students’ work and asked about future story ideas and distribution. The presenters said they are exploring a comics section and are reaching out to a nearby writing center for a partnership to support the club's development.

The district’s leadership thanked the students and encouraged them to continue building skills in reporting and editing. The presentation concluded with the committee expressing support and asking what the students need to expand distribution and reach families.

The committee did not take formal action on the presentation; it served as a youth engagement update and a demonstration of classroom learning and extracurricular collaboration.