Surrey Student selected as global Scholastic Kids Press reporter

Jade Lof is the only Canadian on this year's Scholastic Kids Press team.A Grade 6 Surrey student has been selected as one of this year’s Scholastic Kid Reporters, the only Canadian to be joining the international Scholastic Kids Press for 2023.

Surrey Schools’ own Jade Lof will join 27 other students from around the world to make up this year’s class of Scholastic reporters and will spend the rest of the school year writing stories for publication in Scholastic magazines and its news blog.

Started in 2000, the annual program sees students from around the world apply to become a member of the Scholastic Kids Press, where they will write a variety of articles on local, national and international topics. Previous interview subjects include President Barack Obama, Nobel Peace Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai and conservationist Jane Goodall.

Jade said she’s looking forward to learning new writing styles and sharpening her skills, something she hopes will help her reach her goal of being an author when she grows up.

Naming fantasy and fiction as her favourite genres, Jade said she was inspired to begin writing her own works at an early age and has already written a few books, one of which is currently being reviewed by a publisher.

“I’m an avid reader and writer and I like to write short stories and fiction, but this was a bit different because it was reporting, which just sounded super interesting to me,” she said.

As part of her application process, Jade wrote an article about the Cloverdale Community Kitchen and its services, and she recently submitted a story about the Walk for Truth and Reconciliation.

“I like reporting on organizations that help people and so I want to keep writing about those kinds of things,” she said.

Because she’s the only Canadian selected among this year’s team of reporters, Jade said she’ll also be looking to share important Canadian events with the rest of the world and will be working closely with the Scholastic news editor on finalizing story ideas throughout the year.

“I have a free range of topics I can write about, and I just pitch them my editor and she might approve it or say that she doesn’t think it’s right for you,” explained Jade. “Then she also might have some story ideas that she’ll ask if I’m interested in writing about, so that’s really cool.”

Jade’s mother Janis said she’s glad to see her daughter cultivate her passion, noting it can sometimes be challenging to find new opportunities for younger writers.

“Jade is always looking to enter writing contests but a lot of them are for kids who are 13 years and older, so this was a chance for her to get some more experience at an earlier age,” she said.

As for her daughter’s passion for literature, Janis attributes the growth and development to the teachers she’s had during her elementary years.

“Jade’s teachers have played a big role in her reading and writing development,” she said. “They’ve always been really encouraging and recommending reading and writing challenges to her, allowing her to work on her books during silent time.” 

To learn more about the Scholastic Kids Press, click here.