The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Since the first issue rolled off the presses (okay, the photocopier) in September, the monthly paper has grown in acclaim throughout the hallways of the school. "We've had a couple of articles on basketball and on the science fair," noted editor Tayler Jackson, 11. "And different events that happen at school, like a Valentine's Day party, for instance." While school news is the focus of G.A.B., its reporters have occasionally branched out to cover community stories as well. The Flin Flon Bombers as well as the Flin Flon Pee-Wee AA Bombers have received coverage. There has even been a front-page article on Flin Flon's potential Canadian Tire store. Also mixed in have been a colouring contest, a word search and colourful editorials on matters such as popular music and skateboarding. Tayler helped come up with the idea for the newspaper at the beginning of the school year. "Me and my friend, Brittany Danko, were playing on her computer and we just decided to write a paper," she recalled. After garnering interest in the idea from some of her classmates, Tayler asked her teacher, Mrs. Wanda Pickell, if the paper could be done as a project for the Grade 6 class. "She thought it was a really good idea," said Tayler. "She thinks it's really cool that we're doing this." When Mrs. Pickell's students are done their work and have some free time, she allows them some time to work on their upcoming issue of G.A.B. The students conduct the reporting, take the photos and perform the layout, all on their own. While Tayler has enjoyed her role with the newspaper, she admits that she has faced some challenges, namely writer's block. "Sometimes it's kind of frustrating," she commented. "One time, I spent like at least half-an-hour just sitting there, stuck on what to write." See 'Circulation' P.# Con't from P.# Tayler said that she, like all other newspaper editors, must also deal with the problem of news getting old before it goes to print, a particular challenge for a monthly publication. But none of that has stopped the paper's circulation from growing to about 15 copies sold each month (about half of the papers printed). With a price tag of just 10 cents per issue, G.A.B. provides the student body, as well as the teachers, with an inexpensive source of information and entertainment. "We're saving up the money from the sales right now," noted Tayler. "I'm not sure what the money is going to go to right now, but it's in a little jar in my teacher's closet right now, in the classroom." Mrs. Pickell is quite proud of her students for their ambition. "Very impressive is how I'd describe the motivation and entrepreneurial spirit shown by the students," she said. "This is truly a student-initiated project. It is a creation that is completely student-directed and I hope to keep it that way by being as 'hands-off' as possible." As for Tayler, she believes her work in the print media field probably won't last beyond her school years. "I want to be a fashion designer," she smiled.
