School and student-run newspapers have been around for over two centuries. One of the first recorded school newspapers was the Dartmouth Gazette in 1799 and since then, these media outlets have been a consistent method of informing other students of events within the community and the school. Specifically at New Providence, The Providential has been the newspaper for many years and is written by students in journalism classes.

The main problem with The Providential is the lack of knowledge surrounding it. A majority of students within the school are unaware that there is a newspaper, and even less are able to easily find it. The Providential needs more marketing because many articles about school events are going unnoticed, and is causing many students to be left in the dark concerning issues within the school. 

An editorial posted on The Patriot titled “The Importance of a School Newspaper” by Madilyn Palosi discusses how many schools are unfortunate to not have a newspaper. She says, “this lack of representation causes a lack of motivation from the students and it’s also very damaging for the overall morale of the school. School spirit is very important in a learning environment. School is boring for a lot of kids, including myself, so, when I see an announcement in my newspaper that a rally is taking place or even a dress up day, I get excited to go to school”.

Having events and spirit days are only effective if people participate, and unfortunately, many are unaware of these events because they don’t read about them on The Providential. Without promotion and easier ways to find the site, many students will miss school events, such as the pep rally, in which many students were unaware of its existence. Another example is the upcoming semi-formal. Many students don’t know that there is going to be a dance, and many will miss out on the event. 

Having a school newspaper is also useful to students who enjoy journalism and writing articles. It provides a platform for students to speak their opinions and inform their peers. An article by Higher Education Review by the HER team titled “8 Top Reasons to Have a School Newspaper” stated, “having a school newspaper empowers students to showcase their writing skills and voice their opinions. Since young minds are bubbling with fresh ideas, a newspaper is the best way to capture these in a creative manner”.

School newspapers help students experience professional journalism and show them a professional learning environment. This can help improve morale within the school and allows students to gain real life experience.

School newspapers also help collaboration between students and can improve communication. Another statement from the article “8 Top Reasons to Have a School Newspaper” by the HER team is, “student-run newspapers are a great way to build communication between all groups in the school. They come together, interact, brainstorm, and ideate. And that helps improve association among each other.”

This collaboration stretches between groups and can bring diverse students together, which can help students realize mutual interest and make friends. 

The Providential is a crucial part of New Providence High School and helps students inform their peers of upcoming events and issues within the community. It can spread awareness on topics and can also provide entertainment. The school newspaper needs more marketing so that students can be aware of events within the school and to encourage collaboration amongst students who enjoy journalism