For the third consecutive year, seventh and eighth grade students from Rose Park Magnet Middle School sought advice from Belmont students, received instruction from a Belmont instructor and used the University’s journalism lab to produce its newspaper Edgehill’s Best.
The students, hand selected by their teachers, received weekly tutorials from Belmont Vision newspaper adviser and journalism instructor Linda Quigley throughout the spring semester, learning how to develop story ideas, interview sources and write leads.
“The idea is that they provide information that is valuable to the community,” Quigley said. “Having been in journalism for 30 years, it is exciting to see students appreciate [newspapers] as [they] are getting a bad wrap.”
On May 2, the middle school students worked in Belmont’s journalism lab to write their articles with the help of several Belmont students and Vision reporters, including managing editor Autumn Allision.
“It is a neat experience to help them focus their stories and work as a copy editor for these younger students,” said Allison, a junior from Watertown, Tenn.
The free newspaper with 5,000 circulation is intended for residents of the Edgehill community. In addition, it is distributed to Metro Council members, on Belmont’s campus, in local churches, restaurants and community centers throughout the summer. Stories cover topics such as school sports, students’ community service projects and nonprofit service providers in the Edgehill area.
Seventh grader Aaron Oates focused his article on how Hattie Cotton Elementary has evolved since it was bombed in 1957 as the school integrated and interviewed former Tennessean publisher John Seigenthaler.
“This is a good opportunity to work on writing skills and learn how to interview and make connections with the community,” Oates said.
Eighth grade language arts teacher Alison Forte said, “Belmont has worked aggressively on outreach to work with our students and offered our students full scholarships. This newspaper is another expression of Belmont’s desire to be involved in this side of town and the lives of its citizens.”
Click here to view photos of the Rose Park students working on Edgehill’s Best.
