She "Scooped" The Competition

Jessie Pulos

Ramona Student Wins U-T NIE Award

by Jim Evans

Ramona High School sophomore Jessie Rose Pulos has been honored as one of 12 winners in the 22nd annual 2004 Union-Tribune Newspaper in Education Student Writing Contest. Sponsored by the Greater San Diego Reading Association, the Great Source Educational Group and the Old Globe, the contest attracted thousands of students competing in five different categories in three different grade-level divisions.

The NIE evolved from the early "newspaper in the classroom" program of the early 1950s and became officially known as Newspaper in Education as the program became more successful. More than 700 newspapers worldwide now have successful NIE programs. The San Diego Union-Tribune NIE is available only to those teachers who teach in San Diego, Imperial and parts of Riverside counties and is dedicated to "training teachers how to use the newspaper to a tool to teach the many facets of the state’s mandated educational frameworks and standards." (http://nie.uniontribune.com)

Studies indicate that the use of newspapers in school increases student awareness of world and community issues leading to improved achievement scores in social studies, language arts and math, in contrast to students who rely only on textbooks.

Pulos, who began researching, writing and editing her article last fall, has been actively involved in the yearbook staff at Ramona High School and was familiar with interviewing and writing under pressure. She enjoys reading and writing and, by entering contests such as the NIE Student Writing Contest, hopes to gain more experience in journalism for college, after her graduation in 2006. In addition to her achievements in writing, Pulos works at the Cotton Candy Diner in Ramona, training to be a waitress, and she has volunteered her time at the Boys and Girls Club.

The names of all student finalists will be posted on the San Diego Union-Tribune NIE Web site, and Pulos’ writing — along with the other winners — will be published in the Union-Tribune. All finalists and winners receive gifts and/or cash prizes in recognition of their academic achievements, and all entries receive a certificate of achievement.