written by Steph Strucaly|

Fourteen Morgan students took their seats in Mrs. Chausse’s classroom in the beginning of last semester. The group included a mixture of juniors and seniors.  Some had never talked to each other before and only knew names and familiar faces from walking the hallways.  All I can remember from that first Journalism class was when one of those fourteen students raised their hand and asked, “So what are we going to do in this class?”  Mrs. Chausse’s response came as a surprise to us.  “We are going to make an online school newspaper”.

What seemed like a far-fetched idea has become reality in just five months.  Since mid-January, the “online newspaper” Mrs. Chausse mentioned to her class, otherwise known as The Morgan Pawprint today, has 88 posts and over 10,000 views.  Those views come from all over the world, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, Greece, Romania, United Kingdom, and Israel.  Our articles cover anything from varsity sports, movie and book reviews, teacher interviews, course descriptions, charity events, to anonymous advice columns.  As a journalism student, I never thought our little school blog, coming from a small computer lab in the Morgan School, would reach anyone outside of Clinton, Connecticut.  I think I speak for everyone in the class when I say it is satisfying to know people are enjoying our writing, photos, and videos.  My classmate, Kristine Adams, can’t agree more, “It’s been rewarding and a good experience and I’m honored to be a part of the first generation of the Morgan Pawprint”. Alex Kamnitzer who also took the class this semester feels “it has been a good experience because it shows within a short amount of time students are able to come up with a high quality news source”.

“I hoped to start an online publication that was designed by Morgan school students.  The Pawprint has absolutely surpassed my expectations,” says Journalism teacher Leslie Chausse.  “The Pawprint looks wonderful and the content is from a diverse group of students, providing a new voice for the school”.  Nevertheless, Mrs. Chausse could not have had a bigger role in the development of this online paper.  She has amplified all of her students’ journalism skills and has given us an amazing opportunity to start a school newspaper.  Without her strong involvement and leadership, the Pawprint would not exist.  Thank you, Mrs. Chausse.