Scoil Náisiúnta na Dúchoraidh launched its first newspaper, ‘Dialann na Dúchoraidh’, this week after months of preparation and teamwork.
Throughout the last number of months, the pupils learned how to present a broadsheet newspaper, and became more familiar with media office vernacular.
Roles were also assigned within the class groups to give the boys and girls a clearer impression of how a press office works.
“They’ve been brilliant, and they deserve to have something at the end of it,” School principal Hilary mcGinley said.
“There was a lot of learning in it, and it was nice to be in a fun environment. The children attacked it with gusto and got stuck into the work.”
Formatting and printing were finalised on Tuesday, and Ms mcGinley highlighted that the children have become very conscious of decision-making and editing since the newspaper’s inception. They are wishing to perfect every facet of their project, down to dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s.
‘Dialann na Dúchoraidh’ team took their time in developing questions for their interviewees, some of whom were local people, and explored some more interesting topics in their newspaper including ‘The Donegal Railway, The Tunnel Tigers and ‘Donegal Sports stories’.
Ms McGinley added, “We also have Halloween themed word searches, jokes, ‘how to draw..’ and mouth-watering recipes. We like to encourage the Irish language and culture here as well, so we have ample articles as Gaeilge. The students really became their own worst critics in this, and it was great to see how invested they became.”
With students finally holding their own newspaper in their hands this week, ‘Dialann na Dúchoraidh’ is bound to set in motion an appreciation of journalism in the school that might offer up some fresh recruits in the future.
A very special word of thanks goes out to editor in chief, Ms Angela Ferry, who led and coordinated the schools first outing in journalism. She has been a total inspiration to the budding journalists of the future. Míle buíochas duit.
The paper is available from Siopa an Phobail, while stocks last!
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