The Georgian: a Newspaper in the Making

Half way through the Autumn Term, Lower Sixth pupil, Annabel started her own co-curricular, pupil-led Newspaper Club and, joined by her English A Level compatriot Amelia, inspired pupils throughout the school to contribute their written work for publication. By term end these determined girls had gathered a body of work, completed the editorial process and created the first edition of our online SGA newspaper, The Georgian. 

Like the newspaper the girls have produced, their story is worthy of publication. When Annabel entered the Lower Sixth she found herself wanting to give something back to St George’s to somehow solidify her own personal journey through the school, ‘I wanted a legacy, something that would show I had made a mark’ and so the Newspaper Club was born. The co-curricular timetable at St George’s is the perfect context in which such entrepreneurial, visionary leadership can take root and grow. Annabel’s experience is one shared by a number of girls who have had an idea, have the capacity for leadership and have been given the space, time and support to flourish.

The girls pitched their Newspaper Club to a number of girls just after the Autmn Half Term and their new endeavour soon gained traction with twenty plus pupils from across the year groups joining the girls in Monday club time. Pupils met to discuss potential topics, they held writing workshops in which everyone just took to their Google chrome books to work on their individual pieces and then shared best writing practice and critiqued each other’s work. 

When it came to putting the work into physical form, Head of History and Politics, Mrs Kratt provided a vital Google Suite tip, suggesting the girls use Google Site capability to put the newspaper together. After a few 1am finishes and inevitable last minute hitches, The Georgian was published for the school community to enjoy on Wednesday, 15 December. With articles as broad in scope as ‘How to Make the Perfect Bagel’ (Annabel’s personal favourite) through to Lower Sixth pupil Hannah’s ‘Simplified: The Israeli-Palestine Crisis’, this piece of work is undoubtedly individual in a fascinating way and has allowed pupils the freedom to talk and, more vitally, write freely about what interests them.

When asked to reflect on this first cycle of the printing press, the girls were clear on lessons learned. ‘Don’t leave it to the last minute to write your article,’ Annabel reflected with a wry smile. ‘Always encourage people and never be surprised by someone’s capability.' reflecting on that truth that the most innocuous of pupils were often the ones who wrote with the loudest voice. Finally, ‘You are enough,’ a wonderful, simple reinforcement, from the pupil lead of this super co-curricular club, of a principle at the heart of the St George’s ethos and education, that if you have a vision, be confident in yourself and don’t let anything stop you from reaching your goal.