By Valerie Schremp
Of the Post-Dispatch

ALTON- When third-grader Regierie Lovett attends regular meetings for her elementary school newspaper, she feels like a famous journalist and she gets to snack on strawberry fruit roll-ups and Crunchberry bars.

"The other third-graders say, 'I want to write for the paper!'" she said. "I told them about the snacks you get when you come in here. They don't know about the work."

And walking the beat of the elementary school hallway is work. Regierie and about 15 other third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders write for The Eunice Smith Elementary School in Alton.

The Enterprize does more than inform Eunice Smith's 300 students: Journalism students from Alton High School meet with the Enterprize reporters weekly, to help produce their monthly miracle. Parent volunteer Laura Graham oversees the entire process.

"Their enthusiasm is fantastic," said Graham, speaking of the elementary students who write articles about the school book fair, the science fair and an upcoming Young Author's conference. "They give 100 percent enthusiasm."

"I give one thousand percent enthusiasm," piped in fifth-graderSarah Adler, who claims to eat "a lot of sugar" to stay journalistically alert.

The elementary students sacrifice their lunch and recess to work on the Enterprize, so the fruit roll-ups and Crunchberry bars ease the burden. The Alton High students make the less than one-mile drive to the elementary school during their lunch period.

Cindy Estes, 17, a senior at Alton High, typed up the elementary students' stories in long columns and cut the columns in pieces, allowing the elementary students to work on basic layout skills. "They're really smart," said Cindy. "They pretty much came up with their own ideas. Actuallly, it kind of surprised me that they knew what they were doing. They'd make up great head-lines and leads."

The elementary students' official Enterprize reporter badges, notebooks and pens may help boost their confidence. But even on the familiar beat of their elementary school, the young journalists still get the jitters before big interviews.

Fifth-grader Emilie Kennedy had to interview the new principal, Brenda Vernatti, for the Enterprize's October issue. "I was nervous, 'cause she's kind of famous," said Emilie. "Well, she's not famous. She's the principal. But, she's almost famous."

Vernatti kindly gave Emilie time to write down her answers, happy to see a student journalist at work. Before becoming principal this year, Vernatti was a teacher at the school and proposed the student newspaper idea. The newspaper finally came to fruition this year, with Laura Graham's help.

Vernatti said the newspaper had generated enthusiasm on both school and individual levels. If students don't get their papers on distribution day, they storm her office and demand copies. And two students who were chronic behavior problems last year have made complete turnarounds after they joined the Enterprize staff.

"The paper had to be a part of it, " said Vernatti, smiling.

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