PHOENIX — There's a new news reporter in town! A new kid reporter, that is.
Grant Killewald, a Phoenix 7th grader, was recently selected as a Scholastic Kid Reporter, reporting “news for kids, by kids.”
“I was accepted into the 25th class of Scholastic Kid Reporters,” Grant said. “I was shocked! I never knew that I’d get in… it was hard, but I got in!”
Grant, whose favorite subjects in school are history, politics and geography, said it took a lot of time and determination to apply for the position.
“I had to write about myself, and I had to write about a couple stories that I would like to do,” Grant said.
Grant hopes to write about things he’s passionate about, including the upcoming election and the Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary, a Valley organization that helps rescue and rehabilitate reptiles. He even has one of his own— a bearded dragon named Jack.
As part of an award-winning international team of 27 student journalists that will report “news for kids, by kids,” Grant is excited to write about Arizona for Scholastic.
“I can either pitch an article to write to my editor Suzanne McCabe in New York, or I can do one she assigns to me,” Grant said.
His stories will be published on the Scholastic Kids Press website and featured in selected issues of Scholastic Magazines, which reaches more than 13 million students in classrooms across the nation.
“He loves history and politics, which is great,” said Suzanne McCabe, editor of Scholastic Kids Press.
McCabe said his stories will likely fall into investigating stories in the Western United States.
Grant's father, Rich Killewald, said he is proud but not surprised that Grant landed the gig.
“He’s always been interested in news and current events and paying attention to what’s going on, so this is just a natural next step for him,” Rich said. “So proud of him, because I mean, he did this work on his own."
And for Grant, this is just the beginning.
“I want to inspire other kids to not give up, and I want to report on the truth,” Grant said.
“Sky’s the limit for Grant,” Rich said. “He’s a great kid.”
His parents said they can’t wait to see him report in Arizona one day. When Grant finished his 12News interview, he nailed his sign-off.
“Reporting live from Phoenix, this is Grant Killewald with Scholastic Kids Press."
Since 2000, more than 500 Kid Reporters, between the ages of 10 and 14, have participated in the program and developed skills related to media literacy across the globe.
The program teaches kids how to vet sources, think and write critically, and understand the robust impact of multimedia storytelling.
Grant, from all of us here at 12News – Congratulations and Best of Luck!
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