IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. — The days of picking up a daily newspaper and catching up with your community once a day are fading as fast as the updates arrive on your smartphone.

But that hasn't stopped students in the West Irondequoit School District from learning about the ins and outs of print journalism.

In Ms. Lennertz's fourth-grade classroom at Rogers Middle School, the three "Rs" are always present.

During an after-school club, the kids volunteer to be there. The young journalists are writing for the new school newspaper.

“Honestly, it was kind of just for like the experience and like staying after school and it's always like fun," said Newspaper Club member Kaden Holley. "Just plus I'm a huge computer person so I write about the computer all day.”

“You know those kids that ride their bikes down the street and they throw newspapers at the houses and connect them, my grandparents, they always get them," said Faith Ann Clarke, another Newspaper Club member.

Students wanted to form the club last fall.

“I like writing informational pieces and this was a good opportunity to write pieces that everyone reads in the school," said member Amtul Noor.

A new issue comes out every other month.

“We've talked about what needs to be put in an article," said teacher Lindsay Lennertz. "You know, having a catchy title, making sure you have your facts correct when you're researching and making sure spelling is correct and grammar is correct, double checking your work, having someone look it over."

The young writers say they like the attention, once the paper hits the stands.

“There's like a whole school looking at your name and then there's just ... four people are like, 'oh, I wrote that.'” said Holley.

It’s an interesting dynamic. Kids writing and reading something that so many adults no longer do. 

“I don't know of any of them have really read a paper before," said Lennertz. "It was really, really exciting to see them hold our paper in their hand for the first time and open it and really get to experience reading a newspaper.”

No one knows whether any of these kids will grow up to be journalists, but they’re already learning a valuable lesson.

“It's just really exciting," Lennertz said. "It's exciting to see the kids excited about writing because that's one of, I would say, their least favorite things to do in school. So for them to want to spend their time every month after school to join with us and to write, it's really special.“

From 2002 to 2020, newspaper revenue declined by more than half, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The number of newspaper publishers was also cut in half, from roughly 46,000 to fewer than 23,000.

These trends also hold true for other mediums like DVD rentals, which fell 82% since 2010.