NATION MARKS NIE WEEK THIS WEEK

The Southeast Missourian newspaper has become part of the school day for students at Cape Girardeau Central High School.

Across the nation, newspapers and schools are celebrating Newspaper In Education Week this week.

Newspapers are available for students in study halls. "Those students attack the newspaper first thing," said Julia Jorgenson, librarian at the school.

"They like to see the police report, and of course the sports section is really popular. Then they get to the front page."

In current-events class, the newspaper serves as the textbook, but the newspaper is used in many other subject areas. For example, the food classes use the newspaper's recipes in search of a good cooking project.

Teachers cut out newspaper pictures of students to post on bulletin boards.

"Often teachers use the newspaper as a reward for students who finish their work early," Jorgenson said. "They get to read the newspaper, which focuses back on education.

"It's crucial training for our students to get in the habit of looking at a newspaper: Read the newspaper in your spare time," Jorgenson said. "It's an important lesson."

Some 300 area teachers take newspapers to their students through the Southeast Missourian's Newspaper In Education program. More than 3,600 newspapers are delivered to schools in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City. In addition, some 3,500 Mini Pages of the Southeast Missourian are delivered to schools.

The Southeast Missourian has been encouraging literacy through Newspaper In Education for more than a decade.

"It started with a request from educators in our area," said Kim McDowell, who coordinates NIE activities for the Missourian.

At first, the newspaper was delivered free to classrooms during this first week of March. But teachers wanted more. The newspaper responded by offering the program on a limited basis throughout the school year.

The initial response from educators was so overwhelming that the newspaper looked for community assistance to provide newspapers to more children. YELL, which stands for Youth Education Literacy and Learning, was formed. One morning in September community volunteers sell special editions of the newspaper from street corners. Money raised helps fund NIE and other literacy projects.

Mark Kneer, director of circulation for the Southeast Missourian, explained that delivering newspapers to classrooms is good for the newspaper, teachers and students.

"We are seeding the ground for future readers," he said. "We feel our product is very interesting to people of all ages. And if we can get readers hooked at an early age, reading will become a lifelong habit."

At the same time, teachers find the newspaper a valuable tool in the classroom. Students like to read the newspaper.

And teachers are highly creative in finding uses for the newspaper that encourage literacy and creativity. "It's a valuable teaching tool," Kneer said. "That's why we're so committed to this project."