SchoolAtomic is a mobile news app offered to local schools for their school newspaper, with the aim of rescuing student journalism.
Many of today’s journalists discovered their passion for reporting in high school while working at the school paper. But now, with budget restraints and the digital shift away from print, school newspapers are dying, effectively silencing student voices and potentially snuffing out the next Bob Woodward or Diane Sawyer.
By re-introducing journalism to schools, kids will better understand the complexities of their community and learn the value — as well as the incredible responsibility — that comes with accurate, fact-based reporting.
We want to reignite the journalistic passions within your student body. Put your school’s newspaper on SchoolAtomic and kids will read it.
Schoolatomic is a joint venture by a regional internet consultancy, Zelacom Electronic Publishing, and the Shawangunk Journal, a small local newspaper based in Ellenville, New York. This team combines a passion for journalism with tech savvy know-how.
Zelacom is an internet development company with nearly two decades of experience and a unique perspective of where media, technology and business meet. Based in the Mid-Hudson Valley in Ellenville, NY — yet close to the New York City area — Zelacom creates custom web, software & application solutions for businesses across the street and across the country. Our partners and staff have varied backgrounds and experience in health care, insurance, real estate, publishing, local government, fine art, retail — even animal husbandry — all of which contributes to the diverse sensibility we bring to our work. Website: zelacom.com
Shawangunk Journal is a weekly community newspaper covering southern Ulster, northern Orange and eastern Sullivan counties in New York. A core staff and dozens of local writers and columnists dedicate their time toward making the paper resonate with our diverse community, serving a readership of over 8,000 people. We feel our SchoolAtomic partnership which produces the Devil’s Advocate, Ellenville High School’s newspaper, strengthens both institutions, and teaches responsible journalism to a key constituency – our kids. Website: gunkjournal.com
Heading up the news team for The Devil’s Advocate are Ellenville High School senior, Jasmine Shiffer, and Shawangunk Journal publisher, Amberly Jane Campbell.
Jasmine Shiffer helped launched the first iteration of SchoolAtomic, the Devil’s Advocate, in the Ellenville Central School District. She has since helped form teams of student journalists and guide them on how to produce, edit and post daily digital content.
“Online seems to be the only way to get to kids like me these days. So I wanted to start a paper for the school… People love it. To have this school paper written by their friends, and about their friends, makes everything seem so much more accessible.”
Amberly Jane Campbell, who helps advise student journalists, has been the publisher of the Shawangunk Journal since 2018. She has worked with schools around the region to establish their own SchoolAtomic applications.
“It’s a window into their lives that you would not get any other way,”