Rochester's student journalists definitely have something to write home about.

Their newspaper, the Rochester Memorial News, is about to publish only its fifth edition, but its reporters have hit pay dirt. They’ve interviewed a Pan-Mass Challenge competitor and covered several school events, complete with press passes. (The perks of journalism!)

The news team, made up of 17 fifth and sixth-graders, is advised by teachers Jim DellaCioppa and James Sullivan, who have done their best to make the classroom feel like a newsroom.

At the opening of the news team meeting on Wednesday, May 17, DellaCioppa pointed to a list on the board, which noted stories being developed for the next edition of the newspaper. “Deadline’s coming up, we need these done,” he told the team. “Where is everyone at with their stories?”

One story lagged slightly behind the rest. The story idea was thrown into consideration late, but the fifth edition of the paper is the last of the school year. The reporters are working with limited time. DellaCioppa urged the students working on the story to draw up questions and a story framework quickly.

“Remember,” added Sullivan as he listened in, “you may need to take the initiative to get things done.”

The newspaper put out its first edition in December, but students have already covered weighty topics by any journalism standards. Reporters have turned in articles on global warming, hunger and homelessness.

They’ve also, however, taken the time to cover things they enjoy. Previews of the 2017 baseball and basketball seasons are included in the February/March edition of the paper, and a team of students is currently deep in the process of writing articles on several teachers retiring from RMS. Others threw out a story idea based on fidget spinners, a recent toy fad amongst youngsters.

The newspaper program began more as a student initiative than a teacher idea, according to Sullivan. “There was continuing interest from students who really wanted a newspaper,” he explained. “They did some filming themselves, and they petitioned the principal repeatedly.”

The requests for a newspaper may have been due to a previous Cub Reporters program which ran in the school last year before being discontinued. The program had focused on media journalism, where the students learned to use cameras, direct shows and interview students and teachers.

The other reason? Well, just plain “newsy” students.

“I always used to pretend I was a reporter,” said student journalist Sydney Musgrove. Her interest was so obvious, she reported, that her family’s nickname for her quickly became “Scoopy.” Musgrave was part of the Cub Reporters last year. “When that didn’t continue, I wanted to join this.”

The newspaper exists mostly in an online format, which Sullivan thought would be the most effective for the first year. He hopes to introduce a once-a-year printed edition in the future.

New editions come out every two months or so. While the students dream up interview questions, frame stories, and write the articles themselves, they use Google Drive to share their work with Sullivan and DellaCioppa, who edit all stories. Sullivan posts stories with a stamp of approval online.

"It's great for the kids," Sullivan said. "It teaches them to be self-starters, to be organized and manage their time. They learn teamwork when they work together on stories."

To read previous (and future) editions of the student newspaper, visit rochestermemorialnews.weebly.com.