RENAISSANCE STUDENTS YELL FOR NEWSPAPERS; WHETHER THEY READ LOCAL NEWS OR NATIONAL SPORTS, CAPE CENTRAL STUDENTS LIKE NEWSPAPERS

It was 7:15 a.m., and the 30 or so Renaissance students in Julia Howes Jorgensen's class weren't quite awake.

Despite the few minutes of missed shut-eye, the Cape Central High School students thought it was important to make the Friday-morning meeting. They were there to talk about YELL -- Youth, Education, Literacy and Learning. The special YELL newspaper, sold for one day each year, raises money for area literacy programs.

Every year, the Renaissance students help sell the newspaper around campus. Their group is organized to promote academic achievement, and the students say promoting newspapers is a way to do that.

Junior Neil Totton said reading the newspaper helps him keep up with what is going on in the world. Fellow Renaissance student Katie Limbaugh, a senior, enjoys local news.

"I don't sit and watch TV much," Limbaugh said. "Newspapers let me know what's going on. They keep me up to date."

Senior Nathan Owen, mentioned often in the Southeast Missourian's sports pages for his athletic achievements, said he likes to keep up with national sports news. Even though professional baseball doesn't interest Owen, he said he can keep up with the local teams by reading the newspaper.

Fellow athlete Ross Bennett, a junior, said he likes the Arts and Leisure section. The top 10 lists, which keep track of the country's favorite music, books and movies, are Bennett's favorite.

Other CCHS students feel the same way. They snatch up YELL newspapers all over campus on the special sale day.

That is something Jorgensen, a CCHS senior English teacher, likes to see. She is the Renaissance sponsor and sees YELL as a way to give back to the community.

Although she doesn't have any Newspapers in Education classes this year, Jorgensen has taught them in the past. Through YELL grants, NIE provides newspapers for students to help them learn.

"The students looked forward to getting the newspapers," Jorgensen said. "They were pretty aggravated if they came late or I didn't pick them up."

Jorgensen said the print media helped her students delve deeply into issues. She wanted her students to see people they knew being recognized for their achievements.

"Because I am an English teacher, I think it is very important students learn to read and read well," Jorgensen said.