can you help me save a high school newspaper?
I “met” high school senior Kala Czanstkowski when she wrote me an email:
Hello! My name is Kala Czanstkowski and I am a Senior at Buffalo High School in Buffalo, MN. I’m a journalist/comfort writer and a happy reader (at times) and I just bought your book “Life is a Verb” literally yesterday and I can’t put it down! I’m sure you’ve heard that a hundred million times… How cliche of me. I love your outlook on life and I can’t help but notice how very much you and I seem to have in common. Yes, I know I’m only 17 and obviously don’t have very much life experience as you’d think, but I feel like I do and by reading your book, I have managed to learn more about life than I ever thought possible!! We would LOVE to have you join us at Buffalo High School. You really don’t have to speak, but we love special guests and I’m dying to meet you!!!
I wrote to Kala and told her while I couldn’t come to Buffalo, Minnesota, at the moment, I was happy to Skype with her and the other newspaper staff. And we did, and I met a room full of amazing students, and the irrepressible Kala. And they sent me my very own copy of the paper, The Hoofprint.
The faculty sponsor of the newspaper staff, Ryan McCallum, had this to say about our time together, and about the students who create The Hoofprint (check out their amazing website, too):
Your visit with the class changed the entire culture of the newspaper group. They truly are a tremendous group of people and the kindest and most dedicated and accepting group of young men and women I’ve ever worked with. They are a voice for the voiceless at the school and as close to a family as a group of students can be.
As schools will do, the budget for The Hoofprint has been slashed, meaning that they can’t produce enough printed copies to qualify to enter the state competition for school newspapers. That just really sucks. Here’s a group of committed students doing good by doing what they love, and now it’s been cut short by budget cuts. Can we help send them to the state competition by donating enough money to print The Hoofprint throughout the year (and next year, too, perhaps?)
How to Help
Folks from around the world are giving — even small donations add up very quickly — if you’d like to support young journalists to do what they love, please click the button below and send a donation by Monday, April 16 via Paypal.com. I’ll cut a check on Monday with all the money we’ve raised and will send it to Buffalo High School on Tuesday!
Do you remember what it was like to be 17 and passionate about something? I hope you’ll give in remembrance of that energy and in support of young people trying to save the world one newspaper at a time.