Holmes newspaper club kicks off second year as Tiger Time enrichment

Holmes newspaper club is a Tiger Time enrichment activity that brings together student writers from across the school to share stories, ideas and creativity.

Chief Editor Bristol Miller not only reviews and edits the work of her peers but also contributes her own stories each week.

“As chief editor, I edit and write stories, so I usually have at least two stories per week,” Miller said. “I also edit the stories going into the Canva template. I love the total creativity that comes with writing.”

Miller follows a clear process to turn student writing into published issues.

“The process starts with our meeting on Tuesday during Tiger Time,” she said. “We think of story ideas and then get to writing. The independent writers in newspaper club use their own time after school. They copy and paste their stories into a Google Doc where I can edit them, and then we format everything in Canva.”

Once the issue is finalized, the team distributes the paper to fellow students during lunch.

“We print the newspaper and place copies in the center of the lunchroom during all three lunch shifts,” Miller said. “We also hang QR codes throughout the school and lunchroom so students can access it digitally.”

New issues are released every two to three weeks. As editor, Miller said one part of the job stands out as the most difficult.

“The most challenging part is probably planning out where each story will go in the newspaper,” she said. “That, and editing it before placing it into the Canva template.”

Miller said she’s gained a lot from the experience.

“Since being in the newspaper club, I’ve learned a lot of responsibility,” she said. “I’ve learned more about myself—like how I can handle that responsibility—and I also really enjoy writing a lot more now.”

The Holmes newspaper club was founded by Israel Kodiaga when he was a ninth grader.

“He created the club and asked our ninth-grade history teacher, Mr. Kuker, to sponsor it in his classroom,” Miller said.

Now, his younger brother, Tioto Kodiaga, a current ninth grader, continues that legacy by participating in the club as well.

“Newspaper club is a very fun club, and my brother kind of started it. It is a really fun experience that I wanted to be a part of,” Tito Kodiaga said.

For Miller, the news was always something in the background—until joining the newspaper club gave her a deeper understanding.

“News was something that had always just existed, but I didn’t really pay attention to it until I got involved with the newspaper club,” Miller said. “It bridged the gap between what I knew then and what I know now.”

Because of her experience in the club, Miller said she’s now considering journalism as a future career.

“I think writing about the news and doing journalism is a career option,” she said. “I mean, I do think that’s what I want to do.”