Maya MacGregor
Staff Writer
Making friends and making writing fun, Mira Costa club, PressFriends teaches schools around Los Angeles how to create a newspaper.
PressFriends is a community service organization where students help Title 1 schools write articles and produce a newspaper. Title 1 schools consist of at least 40% of students from low income families, so PressFriends targets these schools to expand the students knowledge of journalism while empowering them to become a leader and mentor.
“PressFriends has been a big part of high school for me,” club president, Makenna McCarrol said. “I brought this club to Costa because of my love for it.”
PressFriends was originally started in 2008 by five Miraleste Intermediate School students as well as a fifth grader from Dapplegray Elementary. The founders were all involved in the student-run newspaper and wanted to share their passion for writing with other underprivileged students. They began by mentoring Roosevelt Elementary students and have since then grown to produce eight school newspapers.
“I love PressFriends because it gives Title 1 elementary students the chance to expand their writing skills while having fun,” PressFriends member, Gavin Sanchez said.
Since brought to Costa, PressFriends has grown to about 20 members. All of the students in the club are trained mentors who go to schools and assist the reporters with writing their articles.
“We then help the students edit and layout their very own newspaper,” McCarrol said. “Seeing the elementary school kids so proud of their work is truly inspiring.”
PressFriends now has over 300 middle and high school members across Southern California. They mentor between 400 and 500 students each year. As well as traveling to elementary schools, PressFriends has taught students from two Boys and Girls Clubs, two public libraries, the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, and the USC Neighborhood Academic Initiative.
“My favorite part about PressFriends is seeing a student doubt him or herself but by the end being amazed at what they have made,” Sanchez said.
To raise money to create the newspapers, PressFriends fundraises at local fairs, such as the PV Street Fair. In addition to this, they also receive many grants from various donors. To collect money at Costa, PressFriends participates in Club Day.
“The profit made goes directly to the PressFriends organization,” McCarrol said. “The club is continuing to grow so hopefully we can raise enough money to help more schools.”
PressFriends meets Mondays, in room 101 during lunch. To become a member, volunteers must take a training course to meet the qualifications of the club. PressFriends also accepts donations on their website to keep their program thriving.
“Not only do I get to mentor them throughout the writing process, I also get to become a friend to them,” McCarrol said.
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