EXTRA! EXTRA! PREP STUDENTS CREATE COMMUNITY THROUGH ONLINE NEWSPAPER Imagine embarking on a life-changing journey — new classes, new teachers, and new friends over the next 14 months — and experiencing all of that through a computer screen. For the middle school students who began Prep for Prep during the pandemic, their opportunities and challenges were magnified by remote programming. Yet they embodied the Prep values of Commitment and Community from the very start, and used their talents to create spaces for fellow students to be seen, heard, and celebrated.
In that first summer and academic year, Preparatory Component classes for Prep Contingent XLIII and PREP 9 Contingent XXXIV were held entirely online. Faculty, staff, and advisors provided holistic approaches to learning while also adapting and raising the bar for students, knowing what these middle schoolers could be capable of in spite of the circumstances that started their Prep journeys. Beyond the classrooms, we saw Prep for Prep students innovating ways to connect with their contingent mates. “I started Prep for Prep during the pandemic,” said 12-year-old Emy H. (XLIII). “I felt like no one knew who anyone really was. I wanted to start something to connect everyone, where everyone can freely share their ideas.” Combining her desire to make friends with her love of writing, Emy founded Prep for Prep’s Favorite (Only) Newspaper. As classes were entirely online for Emy’s first summer, the newspaper would have to be online, too. In the beginning, the newspaper was a simple PowerPoint presentation of 15–20 slides. “I started with a wide variety of topics,” recalled Emy. “I introduced it in the morning meeting, and many people saw it. The third week into the newspaper I got many emails from students requesting to be a part of the newspaper committee,” of which it appeared she was now the manager!
“ I wanted to start something to connect everyone, where everyone can freely share their ideas.” EMY H. (XLIII)
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