By Rochelle Garcia-Perez

and Elena Rodrigues

West Jessamine Middle School students have taken on the challenge of creating a student newspaper run out of a newly-formed journalism class.

Through this elective class, students learn newsworthy criteria, journalism terms, AP style editing and writing, how to conduct proper interviews and photography techniques.

After weeks of editing, writing, proofing, page designing and picture taking the first edition of the West Press school newspaper was printed and distributed this month.

Sixth-seventh-and-eighth grade students turned reporters conducted interviews around the school on many different topics including student of the month, lunch schedules, dances, sports, Q&As, editorials and other subjects  are beneficial to the students at WJMS.

“The interviewers were really professional. I was really impressed,” said eighth-grade teacher Laura Powell.

In addition to reporting, eighth-graders were also in charge of designing and laying out the paper by working in different departments. These departments such as page design, copy editor and photographers worked on putting the finishing touches on the articles and laying out the newspaper.

The student editors would then go through the sixth-and-seventh-grade articles and edit them using AP style guidelines. This insures that the newspaper is professional and with little or no mistakes.

Additional departments were formed to assist in spreading WJMS news through different outlets.

The new social media department allows the newspaper staff to reach more students through Instagram and Twitter. The web design department works by creating a West Press website to be able to update news weekly. There is also an advertising department which works to help supply ads for the newspaper to offset some of the printing costs.

Not only does the newspaper send news and opinions out to the school, but it is a way for the students who work endlessly to get it perfect.