As a team of potential future newspaper reporters learn more about the craft at Clough Elementary School, they're drawing upon the knowledge of their older counterparts at the newly launched Nipmuc Writing Center.

Mendon-Upton Regional School District Superintendent Dr. Maureen Cohen, Clough Elementary School Principal Liz Garden, and Nipmuc Regional High School Co-Principals Mary Anne Moran and John Clements recently shared that students from the Nipmuc Writing Center at Nipmuc Regional High School recently partnered with fourth graders to help refine their writing, providing a shining example of cross-school collaboration within the Mendon-Upton Regional School District.

This inter-school collaboration began in November 2025, shortly after Clough Elementary launched its Newspaper Club and Nipmuc’s Writing Fellows Team was formed at the newly established Nipmuc Writing Center. Clough teacher Esther Willinski reached out to district administrators to explore the possibility of connecting her fourth-grade newspaper reporters with high school student writers.

Administrators introduced Willinski and Nipmuc Writing Center adviser Melissa Kinkela, and the two began planning the partnership. Both programs were new this school year and took several months to get fully established. By December, Clough’s Newspaper Club published its first edition, allowing the high school students to review the younger students’ work before the first in-person session.

The two groups met for the first time on Thursday, Feb. 5, at Clough Elementary. Kinkela created a presentation outlining the latest student articles, and mixed groups were formed for collaboration. As students huddled together with their iPads, articles were shared through Google Classroom, allowing the high school students to provide real-time feedback and editing suggestions.

The session began with a brief icebreaker before focusing on how to craft engaging headlines. Writing Fellows explained the difference between straightforward headlines and those designed to capture a reader’s attention. Conversations then centered on improving structure, clarity and impact of news writing.

“All of the students were extremely engaged,” Willinski said. “The conversations focused on the article that they were working on, and the high schoolers proved to be amazing mentors to my fourth graders, giving positive feedback and kindly moving them in the right direction, suggesting some changes to their articles with the goal of making them better.”

The collaboration lasted about an hour and ended with a pizza lunch. The Nipmuc students also brought small gifts, including Nipmuc t-shirts, for the Clough students.

In total, 12 high school Writing Fellows worked with 11 Clough Newspaper Club members.

Clough principal Garden described the collaboration as a demonstration of the district’s commitment to authentic engagement and hands-on learning opportunities for its students.

"This collaborative project shows what meaningful cross-district collaboration looks like," Principal Garden said. "To see our students in action was incredible as they worked to improve their writing and develop their skills, based on the feedback and insights they received from the older students."

Nipmuc co-principals Clements and Moran said the Nipmuc Writing Fellows demonstrated leadership and mentorship skills while reinforcing their own understanding of effective writing.

"We're glad to see our students make an impact on the younger generation from the community," Co-Principal Clements said. "Being able to share and explain their writing knowledge is a sign of learning that really sticks and it reflects the quality of education that they receive here."

"This has been so inspiring to see our older students partner with the younger ones within our community," Co-Principal Moran said. "To see our students take on the role of educators shows us the passion they have for learning and their generosity to share it with others."

Superintendent Cohen praised the students and staff members involved for creating a learning experience that benefits both groups.

“This is an amazing example of what can happen when students are given opportunities to lead and learn from one another,” Superintendent Cohen said. “Our high school students stepped into mentorship roles with care and professionalism, and our elementary students rose to the occasion with enthusiasm and creativity. Collaboration strengthens our school community and supports growth at every level.” 

Submitted by Mendon-Upton Regional School District