An Evening at Simpson Street Free Press: Cultivating Young Writers in Madison

When you step into the office of Simpson Street Free Press (SSFP) in Madison, Wisconsin, you are greeted by a vibrant community dedicated to fostering literacy and academic growth. The staff, many of whom are former students, are passionate about guiding the next generation of writers and scholars. During my recent visit, I had the pleasure of meeting Leila Fletcher and Cris Cruz, who shared the program's unique approach and profound impact on students of all ages. 

A One-Room Schoolhouse for Modern Times 

Leila Fletcher described SSFP as a "one-room schoolhouse" where older students mentor younger ones, fostering a collaborative environment that benefits all participants. This multi-age model helps students improve their skills by teaching and learning from one another. The program's roots date back to 1992, initiated by local parents who sought an academically-focused after-school program for their children. 

"Simpson Street Free Press is a network of student newspapers all around Dane County and we are a non-profit after school program for students from first through 12th grade. We are based here in the south side of Madison. This is really the community in which the organization blossomed, and it was started because parents in the area wanted an after-school program that really focused on academics. Because that's what students needed," said Leila. 

"We have first graders all the way through seniors in high school and so built into our curriculum is kind of this idea of a one-room schoolhouse where older kids will help younger kids and everybody's kind of working together collaborating on projects. So that's something really special about this organization because you don't really get that in school," she added. 

Empowering Bilingual Students 

Cris Cruz highlighted the importance of their bilingual publication, La Prensa Libre de Simpson Street. "A lot of the staff are Spanish speakers and a lot of the students that we have are English language learners. So they get to, you know, work on their English while also continuing to work on their Spanish. That's something that I hear a lot from parents that they kind of want to instill Spanish within their children," Cris said. This bilingual approach not only enhances students' language abilities but also strengthens their cultural connections. 

A Curriculum that Adapts and Challenges 

SSFP's curriculum is designed to meet students at their current level and push them just enough to foster growth. From phonics-based lessons for younger students to more complex tasks for older ones, the program ensures that every child progresses.

"A key part of our curriculum here is first looking up places on a map that are related to locations that are listed in this lesson plan, sounding out words, and this is true for all the different age levels for our students. We do a lot of phonics-based work here, especially with our younger students. And then the older students are able to drive those skills home for themselves while they're helping younger students as well," explained Leila. 

Beyond the Classroom 

In addition to rigorous academic work, SSFP offers students enriching extracurricular experiences. "We went to the American Players theater this summer and went to see a couple plays. A couple of the students got to talk to the director and the actors. We went to quite a bit of Dane County Parks. Along with the Cave of the Mound. So not only are they writing but they're also getting these different extracurricular experiences," Cris shared. 

Student Voices 

The true impact of SSFP is best understood through the voices of its students. Owen, a17-year-old shared his experience: "My favorite part about Simpson Street is every time I walk in the office, I see a lot of wonderful faces and I just love the environment and everybody. I just make new friends and I love to work with the younger kids." 

"My favorite thing to write about is mainly basketball and sports," Owen added. "What I gained from Simpson Street is, I've gained a lot of things, like how to merge my words to make it flow and sound clear and to have better accuracy with my words." 

Jules, a 16-year-old, emphasized the supportive atmosphere: "What I like about being here is just working with the kids and helping edit their articles, and learning about their day. And I like just writing in general because they let us write about what we feel passionate about." 

"I mean, it's really nice. The younger kids draft articles and I go over it with them. We'll have them read it to us and we'll read it over again to them and we'll edit things that we think that could be better and stuff like that," Jules added. 

Max, another student, shared his thoughts: "My favorite part about coming here is writing what I like to write about. Learning about new things and, like, making new friends." 

"I learned new skills. I learned how to write better and speak better. It has made my English skills much better too," Max replied. 

Aria, an 8th grader, expressed her love for the program: "What I like about coming here is making new friends and I also like writing about things that challenge me in a good way. And just learning things that I haven't learned in school." 

A Community Gem