Trisha Tsundapalli ‘21
Lower school students have a new opportunity to develop their writing and explore the field of journalism: a Lower school newspaper. Through Dr. Sara Tilles, Lower School Coordinator, fourth grade students have been able to start their own newspaper. “We’ve been studying newspapers as a genre and reporters are just now beginning to draft articles,” says Tilles. “Our visual team—photographers—will meet for the first time next week to start their work.”
Writing and journalism can be a powerful medium for self-development. Upper School English teacher Alexander Jimenez believes that starting his writing from an early age has been instrumental in defining his identity. “I’ve kept a journal for most of my life since about sixth grade… I think it allows me to test voices out and figure out what my voice actually is.”
Upper School students believe that the newspaper will benefit the fourth graders and all interested young writers in the Lower School. Neera Raychaudhuri ‘20 says, “I think that when you’re at such a young age, to still be in Lower School and not have as much stress in schoolwork, starting things that can help you pursue an interest that you might have later on in life is always a great idea.” Jimenez agrees, noting the impact his early writing has had on him. “When I was in third grade,” says Jimenez, “I wrote my first novel. The writing was terrible, of course, but the imagination and creativity involved was formative in how I approached English for the rest of my life.”
Kohli has a few words of advice to the Lower school students involved with the newspaper: “As a student who has been here since Pre-K, I would tell the lower school to stand strong and not be afraid to try new things…Don’t follow the crowd, and be a confident individual. If you like something or find it interesting, stick with it!”