NEWBERG, Ore. — While her first day of school isn’t until Sept. 9, C.S. Lewis Academy student Catherine Thomas spends part of her summer thinking about deadlines most incoming eighth graders do not have.
As editor of The Weekly Watchmen, a student-run digital newsletter at C.S. Lewis Academy, Thomas writes, edits, and compiles most issues herself. She designs them in Google Slides, a slideshow creator, and then distributes them through Google Classroom to any middle schooler who opts in.
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“I like being able to have the news out there,” Thomas said. “There are things happening at our school that people just don’t know about, and this is a way to actually get that information to students.”
While Thomas has taken the reins of the newsletter, she did not start it. Two classmates, Hailey Rapet and Emma Naffin, started the newsletter Oct. 4, 2025, as part of a class project.
“Me (Emma) and Hailey really wanted to try out making a teeny tiny new newsletter of our own,” the founders wrote in the first edition. “We are just starting this off, so it’s not exactly great, but we’re really excited to do this with you guys and will try our best to make these interesting!”
After the founders stopped publishing, Thomas — who had already contributed an article of her own — posted her first issue as editor on Feb. 4, 2026.
“I had already run a story I wrote in the newsletter, and I did not want to see it stop,” Thomas said. “I liked to be informed about school-wide and world-wide news, so I rebooted it.”
The newsletter, now at its 23rd edition, “covers recent news, community events, weekly Bible verses, jokes, upcoming holidays, a sudoku, and many other topics.” A recurring feature called Chapel Chatter shares the school’s verse of the day. The newsletter’s name echoes the school’s own mascot, the Watchmen, and is inspired by the school’s official newsletter, The Watchmen Weekly. The two publications are not related.
“There are things the kids want that the school doesn’t always listen to,” Thomas said. “So the newsletter is a way to ask questions, get answers, and let students share what they think.”
Running the newsletter alone has not always been easy.
“Some people did not understand why I would do extra ‘homework’ basically, or did not understand the point,” Thomas said.
But she feels the work is important. Her grandfather was a journalist who worked for newspapers and radio. Catherine’s mother, Rachel Thomas, is the City of Newberg’s city recorder.
“I was proud of the initiative she was taking on and not at all surprised,” Rachel said.
Rachel said she first learned about Catherine’s Weekly Watchmen a few weeks after Catherine started the newsletter, when Catherine mentioned she was researching a story about sustainable building materials. At first, Rachel thought it was for an assignment, but soon learned the research was outside of Catherine’s schoolwork.
“I enjoy watching her challenge herself,” Rachel said. “I’m impressed by her consistency. Catherine pushes herself hard, and I’m glad she feels empowered to make her voice heard.”
Catherine said she relies on Google Classroom, the same platform teachers use for assignments, to reach students. Middle schoolers can choose to subscribe, and those who do are notified by email each time a new issue or announcement goes out. Younger students are not automatically included; sixth graders are not added until they receive school email accounts once the year begins, Catherine said.
To build interest, Catherine has run contests, including a drawing competition featuring Aslan, the lion character from the works of C.S. Lewis, the school’s namesake. She said turnout was lower than she hoped because “not enough people understood what it was,” and she is considering trying the format again.
Catherine said her interest in local reporting extends beyond the newsletter. She recalled noticing a man teaching a free art class on a Saturday, an event she said was not otherwise covered anywhere.
“When I see more people at games or school events, and I know they heard about it through the newsletter, it makes me really happy,” she said. “I can think, ‘Hey, I made an impact.’ That’s why I keep doing it.”
Looking ahead to her first full year as editor, Catherine said she hopes to expand the publication’s reach. A few students have submitted jokes for the weekly joke page, and others have offered to proofread the newsletter for her before sending. But she’s having a hard time finding student journalists who can help cover stories.
“It’s a lot of work,” she said. “If I were giving anyone advice, if they were thinking about starting a publication, it would be ‘get help.’ If you’re a group, it’s going to be easier to do. And if you’re on your own, try and find articles that are easier to write.”
The newsletter is only available to C.S. Lewis students and staff at the moment, but Catherine is looking for a way to develop a printed version as well, though she knows that would be difficult. Students interested in contributing can contact Catherine via the school’s communications systems.
