Montgomery fifth graders visit Straus News

On January 24, the fifth-grade journalism club students at Montgomery Elementary School came to Straus News headquarters in Chester, NY, to learn about how a newspaper is created. Straus News produces three weekly papers in Orange County: The Chronicle, The Photo News, and The Warwick Advertiser.

The inquisitive students asked the Straus News staff many questions, including our favorite stories, why we decided to become journalists, what we like most about the job, and the ins and outs of making a newspaper. This reporter shared the importance of connecting with the community and providing readers with vital information in times of need. We also told them that if they wanted to contribute to their local newspaper, they didn’t necessarily have to go to school for journalism, and noted that some staff studied English or marketing before pursuing their journalism careers. You mainly have to write well and have an innate sense of curiosity about the world around you.

The Straus News team then asked the students several questions about what it’s like to be a fifth grader in 2025 and why they enjoy their journalism club. The fifth graders produce a quarterly newspaper that goes out to students and staff at the school. They conduct interviews, craft prose, and even cover sports for their paper. Teachers Jaclyn Gollinger and Melissa Nogueira noted that the paper is very much student driven, from text to layout.

When asked why they joined the newspaper, most students expressed a love of writing, while some also enjoyed knowing what’s going on in their school. The club staff includes the following students: Sophia Bonnett, Fiona Callari, Phillip Crusie IV, Eileen Rafelle Frain, Madison Gonzalez, Olivia Hatchett, Macey Heine, Mason Jellema, Ethan Kohler, Alice Lee, Juliet Lofrese, Scarlet Raab, Ariana Shkreli, and Cataleya Smith.

We then discussed their least and most loved subjects, the quality of the school lunch, lockdown drills, and cell phones in schools. As with some other classes the Straus News staff has interviewed, the students did not have a positive opinion of their school lunch and were quick to name some of their least favorite dishes.

Students were a bit divided on cell phone use. Some felt they were a distraction and not needed, since alerts could be given from the Main Office. Others saw the value in being able to communicate with family in case of emergencies. Only a handful of students said they had cell phones. But even some of those suggested that only older students in grades five through eight should be allowed to have them in class.

When discussing lockdown drills, the students knew right away what to do, like locking the doors and staying away from windows. One student did note one scary feature of the drills: the clocks slowly turn red to indicate that a drill is about to happen, which she said could seem scary to younger grades.

The conversation then turned to COVID distance learning, which was a difficult time for most of the students, who cited concentration issues and bad internet connections as key hinderances to learning. A few students said they were able to concentrate better at home, and at least one student enjoyed being able to snack at any time during distance learning.

Finally, the students were asked about what they wish adults knew about being a kid today. And many agreed that their parents did not understand just how much homework and other school duties kids have to handle on a regular basis. They also expressed frustration around their parents’ reaction to videos games: they cannot be paused!

The visit ended with the students seeing a live demonstration of how an article is written, published, and laid out in our software program. Whether any will pursue a career in journalism has yet to be determined, but they will always be welcome to contribute to their local newspaper.