When school is in and the latest edition of The Humboldt Sun is out, students in Humboldt County classrooms are reading about local government, sports, events and issues in their hometown newspaper through the Newspapers in Education (NIE) program. The NIE program, supported by Winnemucca Publishing, provides newspapers to area teachers to incorporate into their lesson plans.
Last year about 850 newspapers were distributed, twice weekly, to county schools. This year, in the weeks before the first day of school, 39 teachers in Winnemucca and rural schools had already signed up for the program.
"This program helps teachers to show the students what the newspaper is and how it is important to what is going on in the community," said Holly Rudy-James, general manager of Winnemucca Publishing, publisher of The Humboldt Sun, The Battle Mountain Bugle and the Lovelock Review-Miner.
Rudy-James said that the program is free to teachers and schools, and they may request as many newspapers as needed.
"For teachers, I hope it is a tool they are able to use to bring another dimension to their classrooms. Some teachers use it to talk about current events. Who knows, maybe one of the students will even grow up and become a journalist."
In addition to the free newspapers, instructional resources are provided on Winnemucca Publishing's website, Inside Northern Nevada (insidenorthernnevada.com). The NIE link connects teachers to resources such as teacher guides, serial stories, student supplements, and video and audio teacher training modules. The lessons are also available for the interactive white board. Curriculum materials are furnished for every grade level and just about every subject.
Each month there is a new packet of resources specific to the current month. For example, Sept. 17 is Constitution Day and a social studies or government teacher could use that packet to plan a lesson on the First Amendment and freedom of the press.
Each year, Rudy-James said she receives thank you letters from teachers and students who show appreciation for the program.
"I am glad that the teachers enjoy it," she said. "I am glad for people to see the value in what we do."
Since Winnemucca Publishing became involved with the program eight years ago, it has given out thousands of free newspapers in Humboldt, Lander and Pershing counties.
Humboldt Sun Managing Editor Jen Anderson said the NIE program provides a bridge between the printed news and the next generation of readers.
"It's imperative to keep young people involved and interested in issues that are important to their communities, whether it's through hard news, features, editorials, cartoons or photos," said Anderson.
Teachers interested in the Newspapers in Education program may contact Brenda Holm with Winnemucca Publishing at n.i.e@winnemuccapublishing.net, or at (775) 623-5011 extension 221.
