School has resumed, which means many things. It can mean rushed mornings, new routines, forgotten lunches. It can also mean new classes, new teachers, new friends and possibly a new school.

It also means the return of many favorite activities, sports and traditions.

For us at the newspaper, it means two things: the return of Newspapers in Education and the sounds of energetic students during recess at Ellsworth Elementary School (directly across the street from the I-R office). Our annual NIE program provides complimentary copies of the Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter to classrooms within our school districts. The intention is for teachers and educators to utilize the contents to help provide a well-rounded education.

This year, we have more than 160 newspapers being distributed in four buildings across several school districts. The classrooms utilizing the papers range from the school library to history and journalism classes to grade school classrooms and even English classes. When submitting forms, teachers indicated the following ways they utilize newspapers to help educate students:

• reading opportunities

• recognizing different styles of writing

• reading comprehension

• current events

• community conversations/awareness We are grateful many educators find value in the community newspaper and integrate it into their lessons. As Mayor Dan Finnegan said at a recent panel discussion on newspapers, part of being a good resident is educating yourself about what’s happening in the community.

The I-R seeks to do this in a variety of ways. Our reporters cover the essentials such as public meetings, festivals, events and community features. But the contents of our pages are not limited to our own writing staff. The newspaper is a central hub of information. On a weekly basis, we print information important to residents, such as the senior menu. We publish summaries of family reunions. We print engagement, wedding and anniversary announcements. We print birthdays. We print obituaries. We print columns from the local librarian and extension agents.

We offer our sincere thanks to the educators who welcome our newspaper into the classroom and use it as a learning tool. We also offer our sincere thanks to those who believe in the value of this service and generously sponsor the program.

If you are an educator and would like to participate in NIE, please e-mail kbonar@indyrepnews.com. Similarly, if you are an area business or civicly-minded individual and would like to help sponsor this program, e-mail the address above.

Karen Bonar Publisher

Our reporters cover the essentials such as public meetings, festivals, events and community features. But the contents of our pages are not limited to our own writing staff. The newspaper is a central hub of information.