Hacienda Hawk is the elementary school's first student-run and edited newspaper. The first edition came off the presses in October. The second one hit the school hallways on Dec. 13.

The paper for this extracurricular activity is donated by the students and parents.

The impetus came from one inquisitive fifth-grader, Kendall Tarvin.

"She came to me and asked why her school didn't have a newspaper," says Amy Fisher, Kendall's mother. "So I told her maybe she should start one. And she did."

Kendall attempted the project in 2004 by herself, but it proved to be too stressful. So this year, Kendall enlisted the help of the Jannell Penny, vice president of the school's PTA, the Hacienda Involved Parents and Staff, to do the formatting and graphic work. Penny also assisted in the organizing the newspaper's staff, which enabled Kendall to perform the duties of editor. Students interested in becoming involved were then referred to Kendall by both parents and teachers.

"The newspaper is Kendall's brainchild," Penny says. "I just collaborated on it."

Students at Hacienda submit articles, artwork, photographs and word puzzles and Kendall approves what will be printed. She then reads all the stories and makes comments and returns them to the reporters for the necessary revisions.

Fourth- and fifth-graders write stories about the school while the kindergartner through third-graders submit more of the creative writing.

"The kids are so excited and they take their roles as reporters very seriously," says Principal Melissa Mohamed. "When they're asking me serious questions like 'What is your favorite color?' I have to force myself not to grin and make sure I answer with the same seriousness.

"Parents enjoy it and other children want to know how to be part of it," Mohamed says. "It is a student-generated paper and we want to sustain that."

The commitment needs to be sincere because without it, the paper will not continue, Mohamed says. "I love seeing students being active participants in their own education," she says. "The newspaper is a great way to discover other avenues of creative expression."

The newspaper also has a brother-sister duo weaving tales of witches and magical pants and the simplicity of everyday life for the enjoyment of their fellow peers.

Second- and first-graders Wyatt and Julie Colby have become regular contributors for the newspaper and find support from both their peers and their parents.

"They go to their Tuesday meetings and become reporters," Willow Glen resident Erica Colby says. "It's a big deal to them."

Julia dictates her stories to her mother and Colby types and sends them to the editor. Wyatt, however, types his stories himself.

"Everything that is printed in the paper is directly from their mouth," Colby says. "The children wanted this and it gets them excited to read, write and to create. I couldn't ask for anything more."

The newspaper will continue at the school as long as there is interest.

"You never know what's going to hook children's interest," Mohamed says. "Pulitzer Prize winners come from somewhere, why not from Hacienda?"