December 2015…Students in 14 Philadelphia-area elementary and middle schools are learning about the benefits of dental hygiene, smiling, and respecting others, thanks to the Fall 2015 Healthy NewsWorks newspapers.
Students—as well as teachers and parents—who read the publications are now also more knowledgeable about:
• The heart and how to keep it healthy.
• The importance of associating with people who have a positive outlook on life.
• New school programs dedicated to character development.
• Proper behavior in emergencies.
The most recent healthy newspapers also feature word games, editorial cartoons and illustrations, and letters to leaders featured in Healthy NewsWorks books. To gather information for the articles, the student journalists interviewed experts from the community and their own teachers, principals, and counselors.
Among the highlights so far this year, reporters for the Fit Flyer at William Cramp Elementary School in Philadelphia interviewed a representative of the Trust for Public Land about the construction of a new playground at the school. At Gotwals Elementary in Norristown, students reporting for the Healthy Press met with two Montgomery County Health department representatives to discuss heart health. Young journalists with the Healthy News at La Salle Academy of Philadelphia talked with Sister Jeanne McGowan, the school’s president, about the meaning of respect.
The Healthy NewsWorks student media program this fall has worked with about 300 student journalists—ages 8 to 14—attending schools in Norristown, Philadelphia, and Upper Darby. The first issues for the school year are scheduled for distribution to about 6,000 students in the participating schools.
—By John Fried, Healthy NewsWorks volunteer
