May 8th, 2024

By Kyo Lee, Grade 11 student in the WRDSB

There are a number of student-led newspapers in the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB), each with its own unique origins and qualities, but they share one goal: uniting and uplifting student voices.

Elaine and Kyo hold up copies of The Forecast, the student newspaper at Laurel Heights Secondary School.

At Laurel Heights, The Forecast is run by a team of student writers, editors, layout designers, and illustrators, including myself and my co-editor, Elaine. Together, the team publishes monthly digital and print issues highlighting a range of topics, from global affairs to school events and, ultimately, student thought.

The Forecast is a platform for students to share themselves authentically with a larger audience. As Elaine says, “it’s a unique outlet and form of expression within our school; an amalgamation of many art forms created by a very passionate team.” While student newspapers across the board appear in diverse forms, they are all unique capsules of student opinion and art.

The Edge (KCI)

Maya, a student at Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate Institute and Vocational School (KCI), is the Editor-in-Chief of the school’s online paper, The Edge. Maya says that The Edge gathers students who “want to learn more about the school community…and teach the rest of the school about things going on around it.”

Anybody, regardless of writing experience, can write for The Edge. In fact, Maya mentions that writing for the newspaper is an excellent way to “improve [writing skills] and practise them through something fun.”

“[The Edge] makes people more aware,” she states, which is “important in creating an inclusive and safe environment [where] people feel accepted and heard.”

Globe & Gael (CHCI)

Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute’s (CHCI) Globe & Gael takes a different approach to student media, with a shift to video content. Ekjot, a student leader of the Globe & Gael, explains that this change helped focus on “issues that are important and most relevant to our students” in ways that “reach them.”

The format is changing to fit Globe & Gael’s “main goal [of] giving students a voice.” Listening to their voices has helped Ekjot “look into people’s perspectives in a way that is inviting and not invasive” and “understand where my peers are coming from.”

The Globe & Gael demonstrates “how student perspective has a meaningful impact on the world.”

Eastwood Sun (ECI)

The Eastwood Sun is Eastwood Collegiate Institute’s (ECI) monthly newspaper, led by Stefanja.

Stefanja, who founded The Eastwood Sun with two other students, explains that she realised that as teenagers, we “get most of our news off of Instagram infographics in light of Bill C-18.” She wanted to “give Eastwood students a good and honest media source, so at least they know that in school news, they are getting the nitty-gritty of it.”

Her favourite part about running the newspaper is “hearing people talk about it in the hallways. Sometimes, when I have headphones in, I’ll turn off my music to listen.” For Stefanja, seeing the appreciation for The Eastwood Sun “makes everything worth it.”

Supporting Student Learning

The creation of each of these newspapers was inspired by the desire to contribute to the school community, improve student connection, and enhance learning (in the case of LHSS, legend has it that inspiration also came from The Franklin from the television show Gilmore Girls).

Ekjot (CHCI) states that “the sense of community we have at our school is what pushed me toward doing something like the newspaper.”

In turn, the papers have also created new learning opportunities. Elaine (LHSS) says that the newspaper helped her “become more open-minded and appreciate the arts.” Maya, who is considering a career in journalism, exclaims that it’s “exciting for me to know that I’m getting really good experience that will hopefully assist me later in life with a career.” She says that The Edge has also helped improve her confidence in life: “For example, when giving presentations, I feel better about talking in front of people.”

Student newspapers are also valuable for teachers and community members. The Forecast’s staff sponsor, Ms. Araujo, believes that “the point of English class is to strengthen your communication skills.” The writing skills taught and reinforced in class “happen organically in the newspaper.”

It’s an opportunity for teachers to “gain insight into what interests students and how they’re experiencing the world,” and it’s, “a way to inform what happens in the classroom.”

Student Capacity

Personally, my favourite part about our newspaper is that we’re a team. The Forecast members work together every month toward a shared goal and end up with a lovely product. Student newspapers are more than clubs—they’re a testament to student collaboration, dedication, and capacity. They’re proof that we can and will use our voices to shape our own learning.

In Maya’s words, “We really do care; we’re really passionate about what we’re doing and want to share important information.”

Student newspapers are a bridge between students and the wider community. It’s our way of sharing our thoughts, creating community, and fostering critical thinking. We encourage you to listen.

Read more from these student journalists:

#StudentVoice Series

This article is written by a WRDSB student and is part of the Student Agency and Voice program. Student journalists embody WRDSB’s commitment to creating space for students to tell their stories. They are ambassadors for their peers as they share their personal experiences and stories about their schools and communities in their unique voices.