Belmont’s Departments of Education, Media Studies and Community Relations partner with Rose Park Middle School each year to produce Edgehill’s Best, a community newspaper created entirely by 15 middle school students.
Dr. Mark Hogan, chair and professor of education at Belmont, taught a weekly journalism class to participants in the spring semester where stories were written and prepared for publication. The final product will be disseminated to the community mid-May.
Hogan said the highlight of his time with the students was watching their skills and confidence in writing develop. “It’s great to work with such developing minds,” Hogan said. “The students involved are committed to the community and open to learning more about writing. Each week I could see them grow in their writing styles. This was truly a collaborative project among Rose Park Middle School and Belmont’s Education and Media Studies departments.”
For student and Edgehill Best reporter Joanna Salas, the opportunity to participate in the hybrid journalism class opened doors that will hopefully lead to college and a successful career. “I used to think that all I had to do was spend 90 minutes in each class, and then go home. Now, being in 7th grade, I want to open up more doors and actually walk through them,” Salas said. “Growing up I was not handed things and I always had to work for what I wanted. No one in my family has gone [to college] so I have to go…Journalism has really helped me become a better writer and see information in a different way.”
