By MaryMargaret Portera
Maine School of Science and Mathematics, grade 11
Hi, my name is MaryMargaret Portera. I’m fifteen, and a junior at the Maine School of Science and Mathematics. I would like to introduce you to the Aroostook Republican’s 2011 issue of Newspapers in Education (NIE) supplement. This is a special edition of the Aroostook Republican featuring local students’ works.
Contributed photo
MaryMargaret Portera, a junior at the Maine School of Science and Mathematics in Limestone, interned at the Aroostook Republican for three weeks in January, earning her first byline and honing her talents as a journalist.
Throughout the paper, there will be several articles featured that were written for Rachel’s Challenge. Rachel’s Challenge is held in honor of Rachel Scott, the first student to be killed at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. Rachel’s Challenge inspires students to be better people, and change the world with acts of kindness. Students also wrote about their “sparks” — aspects of their life that they couldn’t be without.
In January of this year, I was fortunate enough to spend three weeks at the Aroostook Republican and Northeast Publishing learning how a newspaper is run, and how to write an article to appear in the newspaper. This was a really fantastic experience for me. I learned a lot, and it really changed me as a writer. Plus, it is really cool to be able to say that I am a published author.
One thing I love about NIE is that it really reinforces not only good writing skills in students, but can also introduce newspapers to young people. It’s a really fun way for kids to see what they’re capable of, and that what they are doing in school counts for something and deserves to be recognized.
When I was trying to decide if majoring in English in college was what I wanted to do, I reached out to the newspaper for an internship to help me decide. It reinforced for me that writing is still something I love doing, even though I do not always do a fantastic job of it. NIE allows students to explore their writing abilities as well, and I think that the importance of writing is something that people definitely need to realize.
Please enjoy the 2011 edition of Newspapers in Education.
