"Paws on News'

South Callaway Middle School students start newspaper, circle of friends

South Callaway Middle School Writing Club member Ellie Edler, club advisor Shannon Bobryk, and fellow club member Hannah Huntsman work on plans for the club's Paws on News newspaper during Tuesday afternoon's meeting. The first edition of Paws on News is planned for the second week of November. They were dressed in pajamas as part of the school's Red Ribbon Week activities.
South Callaway Middle School Writing Club member Ellie Edler, club advisor Shannon Bobryk, and fellow club member Hannah Huntsman work on plans for the club's Paws on News newspaper during Tuesday afternoon's meeting. The first edition of Paws on News is planned for the second week of November. They were dressed in pajamas as part of the school's Red Ribbon Week activities.

With a recently-discovered mutual love of writing, an enthusiastic group of South Callaway Middle School students have combined forces with the aim of starting a school newspaper.

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Members of the middle school's new writing club met after school Tuesday to discuss plans for the first edition of Paws on News, which they are hoping to publish the second week of November.

Proposed sections include a fun zone for jokes and puzzles, short stories, sports, art, announcements, parent information, opinion, interviews and book reviews as well as a student advice column.

In addition to writing all the content, the students also will use publishing software to help put the paper together. Sixth- and seventh-grade science teacher Shannon Bobryk said the monthly edition likely will be in PDF form because all middle school students have iPads and it can be sent out electronically.

"The students seem really excited about it," Bobryk said.

The writing club got started when Bobryk noticed sixth-grader Sarah Stephens' affinity for writing.

"I had a story and Miss Bobryk wanted to read it. She noticed I liked writing, so she said maybe we could start a club," Stephens said.

Stephens quickly took steps to make that happen, asking all her friends and putting up flyers all over school. Eventually the writing club - which meets ever Tuesday after school - ended up with a core membership of 18 students who all have an urge for creativity in common.

"I'm one of the creative, fun ones," she said of her love of writing. "All of us pretty much are in here. (Writing) is just my thing."

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