The Mountain View Mirror is the school online newspaper. For over ten years, it has been the foundation for school culture and student expression with a publishing record of nearly 3000 articles.
The Mirror is not a typical high school newspaper. As the website states, “We won’t be writing about our football team or cheer leaders. We have none. It’s an alternative to the mainstream student press. We will talk about us, our varied cultural perspectives of the world, what’s going on in our school lives and how we are working to make ourselves and the world a better place.”
The Mirror aims to help student journalists find their voices and reach an authentic audience, a supportive community with a true interest in the topics they cover. The paper’s moto is, “Real People, Real Stories, Real Life.” Articles cover a wide range of topics including immigration, teen parenting, mental health, and community gardening.
The Mountain View student body today consists of 75% English language learners. Journalism students bring diverse perspectives to current world problems. According to Journalism teacher, Michael Hardy, his students choose their own topics and immerse themselves in information to write their stories. The process develops skills in reading, interviewing, writing, and critical thinking. The outcomes are often life changing.
This year, Emma Kim, Lead Editor, participated in the 17 Rooms dialogue through the FCPS Global Classroom Project, a county wide initiative of youth leaders discussing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. She continues to report in The Mirror on the progress of this yearlong interdisciplinary project.
Through the Global Classroom Project, Mountain View students have partnered with students in Vienna, Austria, exchanging ideas on education as a human right, water resources, social justice issues and migration policy amid extreme inequality. Emma says she is committed to social justice and that participating in the Global Classroom Project gives her hope for the future.
Students also join forces to publish articles. Student editors, Emma Kim and Sofia Canizalez Duran, published a lesson on Veteran’s Day that increased awareness, appreciation, and discussions of military service within and among the school community. Emma recently surveyed the school community about Career and College Day while Sofia, a young mother of two, has published about motivation in the face of adversity through sport and through music.
Mr. Hardy says The Mt. View Mirror gives students opportunities to grow not just in knowledge but in confidence, collaboration and consensus building. “This unique platform builds peace because it builds justice advocacy through the power of dialogue-based learning while maintaining authenticity in student voices and global audiences.”