PRESQUE ISLE – Newspapers can be found on people’s coffee tables, on store racks and, just as importantly, in the classroom.
For the sixth consecutive year, the Star-Herald has teamed up with area schools to celebrate Newspapers in Education Week, by creating a special supplement that includes students’ photographs and graphic work.
Photo by Brittany Brown
A ‘FRAMED’ CLOSEUP, such as this one taken by Brittany Brown, draws attention to certain elements, such as the subject’s eyes. “The reason why I choose this photo is because it shows the warmth of her emotion. I liked this photo also because of the colors, they blend together and it makes you more focused on her eyes. There is no distraction leading away from her face, there is only one main focus,” said Brown.
NIE is a cooperative effort between schools and newspapers to promote the use of newspapers as an educational resource. The international program, which began in 1955, also seeks to help improve the students’ reading, spelling and writing abilities.
Last year, we approached administrators at Mapleton, Zippel, Easton and Fort Street elementary schools to see if some of their fifth-grade students would be willing to help design advertisements for a special section highlighting Newspapers in Education Week. The response from advertisers was so great that we decided to do it again.
This time, pupils at Mapleton, Zippel, Easton and Fort Street elementary schools were asked to become newspaper advertising artists and copywriters as they created “ads” for more than 110 willing sponsors.
Also joining the project were students in Amy White’s digital photo class at the Presque Isle Regional Career & Technical Center.
We are extremely pleased with the quality and level of creativity and enthusiasm that went into this Newspapers in Education exercise.
While Newspapers in Education is a week-long event, the Star-Herald works with classrooms – students, teachers and administrators – throughout the year.
Whether it be a school board meeting, a basketball game, spelling bee or a band concert, newspaper reporters are covering education on the front line. Indeed, without news of our youth and their schools, our newspapers would be missing a very important part of the communities in which we serve.
Newspapers in the classroom serve as an exceptional supplement to textbooks, which can no longer keep up with our rapidly-changing world. A newspaper in the classroom connects young people with their community, their nation and the world.
Over the years, members of our staff have worked closely with school personnel and students to build two-way connections between the classroom and newsroom.
Some examples of this are when a reporter comes to a school to interview students for their opinion on a topic of the day or when one of our staff members is asked to host a job shadow experience.
We are extremely pleased with the results of our Newspapers in Education exercise, and we hope you will enjoy the student-created newspaper advertisements, essays and photos in this special booklet.
We also wish to thank the pupils, teachers and administrators who agreed to partner with us, as well as the businesses that provided the opportunity for the children to showcase their artistic abilities.
Photo by Connor Graves
AN INTEREST in higher education was the motivation for Connor Graves’ photo. By deleting color in the rest of the photo, Graves draws one’s attention to the college T-shirt. “I chose this photo because it represents a school I would like to attend in my future. I took this photo in the Presque Isle High School library last August and took the color out of the picture except for the Husson T-shirt,” said Graves.
Photo by Allison Dean
ONCE-COMMON objects can make for interesting choices when taking a photo, as shown here by Allison Dean. “This photo was a part of our street assignment. We had the opportunity in class to go to Main Street in town and take the photos. I chose to take this photo because the traditional barber shop sign is something that you don’t see any more. We happen to have one in our town, and I thought that it would be a great photo to take of an object that isn’t really around any more,” said Dean.
Photo by Erin Thomas
TAKING PICTURES of what she knows, Erin Thomas took interest in ice-covered ski poles. “I took this picture on an icy morning in early January. The night before it rained, then froze, covering everything in a layer of ice. It may have been slippery conditions outside, but these ski poles shimmered on the clear day. I like this picture because the color of ski poles is a vibrant red next to the white snow. Skiing is a passion of mine and these poles show the beauty of the sport,” said Thomas.
Photo by Meagan Royer
IN THIS SHOT, taken by Meagan Royer, nature appears in all her fall glory. “This photo was taken at the scenic view of Mount Katahdin. I like this photo because it shows the beauty of fall that we often never have time to enjoy,” said Royer.
