I’m writing to thank students and families who have let me be part of their creative and curious lives over the past six years. The fourth-graders who started the newspaper club are now juniors beginning to think about life after high school. As an advisor I have had the distinct honor and pleasure to support the many talents and interests of Husky Headlines third- through fifth-grade newspaper club members ever since the second issue.
One of my favorite parts of Husky Headlines was to see kids have autonomy choosing projects and work through productive struggle. Some sorted through mountains of great ideas until they picked one to get rolling with. Others were stuck without ideas until their light bulb moments set them off to research, interview, or illustrate. Groups of writers, photographers, and illustrators teaming up to work together each year always made me smile, as did seeing the magic of three grades of students working together. Other favorite moments include being personally called out for my own typos and incorrect dates—those kids became editors.
Every member of the newspaper club is important from the creators of action-packed comics, peaceful poems, sports stories, book reviews, game reviews, science news, current events, and interviews that connected us both to the Hildreth Elementary School and to the greater Massachusetts communities. I learned something new with each issue. Husky Headlines contributors even won a New England Newspaper and Press Association award in 2022!
As Husky Headlines enters its seventh year, I want to sincerely wish the new team all the best. It’s been an honor to contribute to something so meaningful, and while I won’t be continuing in the role, I’ll be looking forward to each new issue of this next era. Here’s to carrying forward a legacy built with dedication, joy, and purpose.
Jen Manell
Stow Road
