b'PerspectiveCreating this bookstudents and community working togetherMia Blitstein As the calendar began to fill up with scheduled inter-views, our attention turned to helping student report-Leading Healthy Change ers prepare thoughtful and focused questions about In Our Communities is a cap- peoples pandemic experiences and insights. Once stone project of the Healthyan interview had been completed, we continued guid-NewsWorks program, whiching students through the writing process. At the same teaches journalism principles time, students were tracking their own experiences, to elementary and middlerecording their time during the pandemic and their school students who report onhopes for the future.health topics for their fellowThe students articles for this book went through a students and communities.rigorous editing and revision process, then back to As the creation of our 10th book coincided with thethe students and interview subjects for confirmation largest public health crisis of our lifetime, we knewand approval. that this book would need to be special. The HealthyAll of this was done virtually, with phenomenal help NewsWorks team decided to focus the entire bookfrom classroom teachers and school administrators. on the COVID-19 pandemic. Our editing team met weekly to stay on top of the Our time-capsule concept kicked into high gear lastprogress and keep the many pieces in order.fall as team members, including the student reportersThe stories and reflections you will read in these and their teachers, went to work. Healthy NewsWorkspages are a taste of what it has been likeforstaff asked community members if they would talkhealthcare leaders, essential workers, and commu-to our reporters about their pandemic experiences,nity members, including children and teachers and an incredible array readily agreed to donate theirto live through this time, a year like no other in our timein areas ranging from healthcare to the foodcollective memory.industry, from sports to the arts. Mia Blitstein, M.S.Ed. Program Manager Healthy NewsWorks2'