The scene could have been out of an old newspaper movie: anxious reporters scribbling out stories on letterhead. But it was Allison Thomas' fourth-grade class at Central Elementary School Edgewater.
The pupils began putting out the Thomas Times, their own three-page newsletter, a month ago. And Friday, they were working on their second issue. The newsletter was the idea of Mrs. Thomas, a first-year teacher who was features editor of the Arundel High School Spectrum six years ago.
She said she hopes the newsletter will improve her pupils' writing and reading skills and teach them to enjoy writing.
The youngsters say they have developed a new excitement about reading and writing since they started doing the newsletter.
Many said they have started to read daily newspapers. and others said they have learned new words.
Mrs. Thomas "wants us to learn tough words so when we get older we already know them," Emily Jones, 9, said.
About 100 copies of the Thomas Times are distributed each month.
"It's fun, and I really enjoy reading it," said John Boyer, 9. "I learned it can help you learn more than you already know."
The newsletter includes news stories, poetry, riddles, a "Did You Know?" column, an advice column and color graphics on each page.
For their February issue, Justin Weddell and Shane Wilson, both 9, are writing about the baseball strike and learning about Congress while they doing it.
Others are doing book reviews and advising their classmates on how to stay warm in the winter.
The young journalists are expected to do the interviews and write and edit stories. Last Friday morning, some even showed the signs of stress often seen in a real newsroom, rubbing their foreheads and temples as they tried to think of what to write.
"Sometimes it's hard thinking about what I'm going to write," said Deron Brown, 9.
Once a month, the students spend an hour brainstorming ideas and helping each other decide whom to interview and what questions to ask. The first drafts are due a week later, and the final versions a week after that.
Editing is the hardest part, said Emily. "You have to find misspelled words and then write the story all over again," she said.
John said meeting deadlines is difficult for him. He turned in his first story at the last minute, he said.
Mrs. Thomas, the editor in chief, types and designs the newsletter on her home computer, using software from the company where her husband works.
Sometimes the students use the school's computer lab to improve their typing while writing their final drafts.
Mrs. Thomas -- who said she gave up journalism in college after she realized there was "only one Barbara Walters, but 1 million teachers" -- plans to have all the pupils type their stories, like real reporters, by the end of the school year.
Mrs. Thomas conceived of the newsletter while fiddling with her new computer last November. She wrote the first issue, but let the children take over after she saw the excitement on their faces.
Mrs. Thomas said what has been most rewarding for her is to see her pupils' self-esteem increase from seeing their names in print.
"I thought we did really good," said John. "A lot of them [other fourth-graders] said they really liked the newsletter, too."