Join the Middle School Press Corps!

The Middle School Press Corps (MSPC) is a great opportunity for grades 4–8 students to share their voices, connect with peers across District 26, and grow as storytellers and critical thinkers.

This initiative builds on D26 Civics for All's vision to further enhance action civics and develop youth voice by giving students authentic journalism experiences—researching, writing, and publishing stories that reflect their perspectives and lived experiences as members of our NYC communities.

Whether your school already has a student newspaper, podcast, newsletter, or you’re interested in starting one, we’d love to partner with you.

What Students Will Gain:

  • A platform to share their stories with an audience beyond their school

  • Skills in interviewing, research, writing, editing, and publishing

  • Collaboration with student journalists from other schools

  • Opportunities to attend a districtwide Middle School Journalism Conference

  • Connections with professional journalists, high school media teams, and civic leaders

What Advisors Will Have Access To:

  • A ready-made network of colleagues to share ideas and resources

  • Optional PD and workshop support 

  • Lesson templates, activity ideas, and conference opportunities

  • Flexible participation—join as much or as little as works for your school’s schedule

Expectations for Advisors

  • Support student media teams in creating or growing newspapers, podcasts, or newsletters 

  • Help students build partnerships with peers through MSPC, develop journalism skills and share authentic stories rooted in their experiences and communities

  • Join advisor meetings to exchange ideas, share resources and troubleshoot challenges

  • Participate in districtwide /citywide conferences where students share their work & connect with peers

Expectations for School Leaders 

  • Support advisors by providing time, space, and flexibility for student media activities

  • Encourage and celebrate student participation in publishing and conference opportunities

  • Help sustain the program by integrating it into school culture and sharing successes with the wider community