Swampscott middle school students launch online paper

SWAMPSCOTT – Swampscott Middle School students have launched a new publication and are right on course with The Atlantic Compass.Faculty co-advisor Natalie Paine, who is a computer teacher at the school, said the Internet publication started as an after school club in February and more than a dozen students were involved in the publication, which recently published its first edition online at http://atlanticcompass.wordpress.com.Paine said the club has generated a lot of interest and enthusiasm. Paine said a decision was made to publish online to save money, conserve paper and to allow the use of color technology.”We devoted a lot of time to creating the format,” she said. “The students selected the name for the publication, designed the logo and decided what it should contain for content.”The Atlantic Compass includes news, feature stories, poetry, photography and an advice column.”We’ve had a huge response,” Paine said. “Teachers are having their classes look at it and we’re able to reach people outside of Swampscott via the Internet.”The club was supposed to be a six-week program but because interest was so high, Paine said the club would continue and a second edition of The Atlantic Compass would be published online later this month.”We had no idea what to expect,” she said, referring to herself and faculty co-advisor and English teacher Brandon Lewis. “Clubs were being offered for six weeks but we decided to keep this going and are volunteering our time. We expect to generate even more interest next year. It’s been a very positive thing. We have over 700 students at Swampscott Middle School and this is an outlet for kids who like writing, photography or graphic design. We can integrate a lot of talents and a lot of kids.”