Monday morning, the smell of fresh ink mixed with the buzz of first-period chatter as students and staffulty streamed onto campus. At the front desk, a stack of crisp papers waited—Dungee’s Digest, hot off the press. 

The newspaper, created by Kurt Heise’s Current Events senior elective, is more than just a collection of stories. It covers everything from politics and world news to local Bay Area issues, offering students a space to explore, analyze, and share their perspectives on the world through their own voices.

This semester marks a new format for the class: a project-based newsroom where students take the lead. Every two weeks, a new issue is published. One student serves as editor, setting the theme and guiding their classmates through the process of pitching, researching, and writing op-eds. While students work, Kurt weaves in lessons and discussions that connect directly to each issue’s focus, helping them see how global events, local politics, and history intersect.

But Dungee’s Digest isn’t just about writing—it’s about thinking critically. At the start of the semester, Kurt introduced students to the fundamentals of journalism: identifying credible sources, spotting bias, and asking the right questions.

In an era when anyone with a phone can publish, post, or persuade, developing media literacy has never been more vital. Social media algorithms can blur truth and spin, amplifying misinformation faster than it can be corrected. 

For young people growing up in this environment, the ability to question what they read, verify sources, and engage with differing viewpoints isn’t just a classroom skill, it’s a form of civic responsibility. Learning to discern what’s credible and what’s not means learning how to participate thoughtfully, listen critically, and make sense of a noisy world.

Students say they love the class—it’s engaging, relevant, and gives them a new way to see the world, one issue at a time. Be sure to grab a copy of Dungee’s Digest next time you’re on campus and see what our student journalists are writing about.