About the Program
AFY Journalism Club
尤方玉屏學校新聞 · Alice Fong Yu Alternative School · SFUSD
A yearlong bilingual journalism program for grades 6–8, built around real publication, a planned three-year leadership pathway, and bilingual English/Chinese storytelling. The first-year cohort begins in October 2026. Five issues publish on the web in The Dragon Gate · 龍門, from December 2026 to May 2027.
The Adviser
About Elena Ely
Elena Ely
Curriculum Designer · Journalism Adviser
Elena Ely is an educator and curriculum designer whose work spans literature, debate, journalism, and visual storytelling. She is especially interested in projects that bring together analytical rigor, student voice, bilingual expression, and carefully made form.
Curriculum · Journalism · Photography
elenaely.com
The AFY Journalism curriculum is an 8-module, 32-lesson program adapted from two of the most decorated scholastic journalism programs in the United States — Palo Alto High School's Media Arts Center and Lowell High School's The Lowell — and calibrated for grades 6–8 with a distinctive bilingual English/Chinese dimension.
The curriculum moves students from foundations of journalism and news writing through features, opinion, photojournalism, multimedia, design, ethics, and editing — across eight modules and five web issues over the academic year.
Approach
- Close reading and close observation before writing
- Inquiry before formula — students ask first, then report
- Skills always applied in a real publication context, never in isolation
- Revision as a form of thinking, not a final step
- Bilingual at every level — English and Chinese as equal languages of journalism
The Program
A full publication cycle, bilingual at every level
A full publication cycle
8 modules and a 32-lesson library, taught this year in 24 sessions. Each session runs across two lunch meetings, Monday and Thursday. Five issues publish on the web, December through May. Every module feeds the next issue, so skills are always applied in a real context.
Bilingual at every level
Each module includes a dedicated bilingual English/Chinese adaptation — a specific, actionable way the skill or concept extends into Chinese-language journalism. This is a curriculum feature built specifically for a Chinese immersion K–8.
A three-year leadership pathway
The program is designed for students to progress from reporter to section lead to editor-in-chief across three years, following a progression modeled on Lowell's reporter-to-editor ladder and Paly's Beginning Journalism → AJAMS → Media Leadership sequence. The current first-year cohort is establishing that pathway.
Join the Newsroom
For AFY students in grades 6–8
How to join
The AFY Journalism Club is for AFY students in grades 6–8. No prior experience is required. New members begin as reporters and learn through adviser guidance, structured peer feedback, and publication work.
The club meets at lunch on Mondays and Thursdays. The first session is Monday, October 5, 2026.
Students join during designated enrollment windows, through a Google Form. The form and its dates are shared with AFY families when a window opens. Questions can be directed to the adviser through the school.
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