April 2021 … Congratulations to the students of The DePaul Catholic School, who have published the first edition of their new health newspaper!
DePaul is an Independence Mission School in Philadelphia.
The DePaul Healthy Trailblazer Journal takes its name from several sources, the students write. “The name ‘Journal’ pays tribute to the first African-American newspaper called Freedom’s Journal, the first Black-owned and operated newspaper in the United States. It was established in 1826. ‘Trailblazer’ is a name associated with the DePaul community. And ‘Healthy’ is the theme of the paper.”
“The pandemic has reminded us that health is such an important issue,” said Mr. Leonard, a DePaul religion and social studies teacher who is the Healthy Trailblazer Journal faculty advisor. “We are going to be the voice of what makes a healthy lifestyle.”
The inaugural issue includes articles on the importance of getting enough sleep and how teaching has changed during the pandemic, as well as an interview with Philadelphia’s Youth Poet Laureate. That interview also will appear in Leading Healthy Change In Our Communities 2021—Doing the Undoable in a Pandemic, to be published in May. It’s the 10th book in a series written and illustrated by elementary and middle school students in the Healthy NewsWorks student media program, and will be unveiled at our free virtual event May 26. Register to attend here.
In future issues, the students hope to report on such topics as staying active, eating healthy foods, and developing friendships.
“Health is an important part of our life and we should take it more seriously,” DePaul eighth-grader Nashiya said.
