By Courtney Rogers
Port Arthur News

A large majority of hardworking adults begin their daily routine with a cup of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other, but how many children do you know read the newspaper daily, or even weekly?

The Newspaper In Education program has been working over the past several decades to change children’s routine. In June of 1795 the Portland (Maine) Eastern Herald published an editorial that said if parents wanted to improve their child’s reading level they needed to give him or her a newspaper because it furnishes a variety, some parts of which must infallibly touch his (or her) fancy and with that idea began NIE.

It has taken years for the program to reach the success it has today but, as the saying goes good things come to those who wait.

“When I found out that I could be a part of this program, I knew I had to join,” Donna Monceaux, NIE coordinator of the Port Arthur News, said. “It is such a good idea.”

NIE is a worldwide, nonprofit program that delivers newspapers to local schools upon teachers’ requests, at which time teachers incorporate them into their daily curriculum.

The News delivers about 4,700 newspapers a week to 26 area schools between August and May and this summer sent papers to Travis Elementary and Central Middle School for summer school, Monceaux said.

According to an NIE Web site, teachers use the provided newspapers in several different areas of study. For instance, during the Thanksgiving holidays some newspapers may include a short article retelling the story of the Pilgrims and Indians, which could correlate with a history lesson, especially for elementary school classes.

With the hurricane season upon us once again, students, from not only this area, but across the country, could read a newspaper article and learn about the financial, political and emotional ramifications left in a storm’s aftermath.

“I am able to help put important information into a student’s hand and

Locally the NIE also sponsors several different contests throughout the school year.

“Last year we had an essay contest where students wrote about their experiences during Hurricane Rita and the year before they wrote about the presidential election,” Monceaux said. “It’s important that the younger citizens’ voices are heard.”

NIE strives every year to help local schools in any way they can and will continue as long as they have schools interested.

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