A new extracurricular opportunity to educate 8th grade students on the fundamentals of journalism has been introduced at Pleasant Valley Junior High [PVJH]. The club is not only a fun after school activity, but also in response to a growing concern: the limited number of English-based pathways available to students at the Junior High.
The idea for the club emerged after high school publications students including Juniors Madeline O’Malley and Addie Belman, as well as Sophomores Rhea Jain and Fiona Treiber, learned that the journalistic writing unit for honors English had been removed from the junior high curriculum. For many students, that change came with a loss of exposure to journalism at a time when communication and media skills are increasingly important.
One founder, Rhea Jain, conveyed the impact the unit had on her younger self, “I had the thought of creating a journalism club at the high school after talking to my eighth grade English teacher, Mrs. Blake, who told me that journalism was no longer taught at the junior high,” stated Jain. “That was upsetting news for me; it was because of my eighth grade journalism unit that I knew I wanted to join the Spartan Shield at the high school.”
Jain and the other prospective student leaders believe that the club, tentatively referred to as the Spartan Spear, will provide junior high students with early exposure to journalistic skills that are now not being provided in the PVJH curriculum. According to the current club plans, this will be done through weekly meetings, putting forward to create a monthly newsletter.
The goal is to give 8th graders hands-on experience in writing, reporting and designing, all while introducing and rebuilding interest in journalism as a pathway. “The other founders and I felt it was necessary to provide aspiring writers with an opportunity to learn more about journalism and have a fun place to work on a newspaper with their friends,” said another founder, Madeline O’Malley.
A program such as this one has felt increasingly important for the investment of the school district, seeing as STEM programs continue to expand and thrive in many schools, including PV. Students have begun to see that educational writing opportunities have not been given room to grow at the same pace. Jain recalled noticing this imbalance for herself early on in her high school career. “When I was signing up for classes as an eighth grader, I remember questioning why there weren’t as many writing classes compared to STEM electives,” she said.
In response to this, O’Malley answered, “STEM pathways typically have a more secure and clearly set-out pathway post-high school, which may be part of what makes them appealing towards students and may dissuade others from venturing into a more art-related career.”
However, the lack of support for media and literature practice is not the only challenge this club faces. Organizers are currently working to measure student interest before finalizing the club structure. “The main thing we have to understand is how many junior high students would be interested in joining the Spartan Spear,” explained Jain. “We plan to survey current seventh graders to gauge the number of students who are interested. Based on that, we’d configure the class structure.”
Despite these hurdles, the founders hope the Spartan Spear will do more than just fill a curricular gap. They wish to show students that reporting can be both meaningful and enjoyable, which will hopefully lead to a shared passion amongst them all. “If they enjoy journalism and decide to be a part of the Spartan Shield staff in high school, then they would have valuable experience about how writing and designing go hand in hand to create an impactful article,” Jain continued.
Journalism and publications are essential pathways alongside STEM, and the importance of equal representation and opportunity for students of all interests is vital to the Pleasant Valley community.
Once approved, the club is expected to begin meeting shortly after the start of the ‘26-’27 school year, and O’Malley concluded that, “anyone interested in writing, designing, reporting and journalism should attend and have fun!”
