The newsroom of The Day Creek Howl has finally fallen silent.

What was once a fast-paced room filled with clicking keyboards, shouted deadlines, and nervous excitement is now quiet. Groups of empty desks sit untouched, topped by stacks of black Chromebooks. In one corner, a lone photographer carefully removes national journalism awards from the wall, a small but clear reminder that an era is ending.

No more staff lanyards, no more “Journalism Staff” shirts, and no more final deadlines.

As longtime adviser Mr. Gossage prepares to step away, Day Creek Intermediate School’s nationally recognized journalism program, The Day Creek Howl, will officially come to a close after eleven years.

“It’s kind of sad,” said Kingston L., a current eighth grade editor. “He has been doing journalism for a long time, and it is surreal to be the last line.”

For many students, the announcement felt impossible to believe.

“I was shocked,” said Kevin H., a current journalism student. “I was thinking that we would help next year and the year after. I did not think that this was the end.”

For the editors finishing their final stories, the last deadline felt different from every other one before it. The usual pressure of polishing articles and checking facts was mixed with something heavier: the realization that once they pressed submit, the newsroom they loved would disappear forever.

There was less laughter than usual. Less chatter across the room. Every final paragraph and adviser’s check-in carried the weight of goodbye.

But the story of The Day Creek Howl began long before its final post online.

Back in 2014, Day Creek’s successful Academic Pentathlon program had come to an end, leaving teachers searching for a new opportunity for students.

“Mrs. Gossage and I began to dream up what we could do for kids on campus,” Mr. Gossage said. “She began a fantastic Yearbook program. In that process, I met an amazing adviser named Mitch Eden who introduced me to his world of journalism. And here we are eleven years later.”

What started as a simple idea quickly became something far greater.

Mr. Gossage said the program’s growth was heavily influenced by one of the best high school programs in the nation. That online newspaper and its editor pushed Day Creek students to aim higher every year.

“Mr. Eden and his Kirkwood Call became the high school bar we were trying to leap over. Those guys are incredible. He taught me all about Best of SNOs and encouraged our team to write at a crazy level. And that’s what they’ve done,” Mr. Gossage said.

The challenge of competing with elite high school journalism programs became part of the culture of The Howl, pushing middle school students to produce work that consistently earned national recognition.

“We started with a simple classroom, a stack of Chromebooks, a supportive administration, and a few novice writers who really didn’t know what they had signed up for,” Mr. Gossage said. “I don’t think I did either.”

With support from then-principal and current superintendent Mrs. Sprague, the program officially launched.

“I thought it was a good thing for the kids, and we made sure we were doing it in the right way,” Sprague said. “I’ve always been a supporter of this program. I loved that our students were putting together stories and pictures that were telling their story, not others.”

Over the next decade, The Day Creek Howl transformed from a small middle school elective into one of the most respected student journalism programs in the country.

The publication became the first and only middle school in the nation to earn all six distinguished badges from Student Newspapers Online for three consecutive years, an achievement rarely reached even by US high schools.

“Best of SNO is the highest national recognition a student news site can receive,” Mr. Gossage said. “It is not a participation prize. It shows that The Day Creek Howl stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the best in the country.”

Yet the awards were only part of the story.

Unlike many high school programs that keep experienced writers for several years, Day Creek rebuilt its newsroom every year with a team of new seventh grade students.

“Most teams across the country maintain a staff of writers and editors throughout high school, but we turn over a full newsroom every year,” Mr. Gossage said. “And our writers are a bit younger and a little less experienced than a high school or college team, which compounds the challenge.”

Even so, he refused to lower expectations.

Students were trained like professional journalists. They learned how to conduct interviews, verify facts, meet difficult deadlines, and write stories that mattered to the Day Creek community.

“It’s a balance of caring about the team while maintaining high expectations,” Mr. Gossage said. “If a junior high student can pour personal time into TikTok and Instagram, they can definitely create awesome podcasts, videos, web design, photography, and stories. Why underestimate them?”

Former students say that belief changed them long after they left Day Creek.

“Having a teacher there that cares a lot is always great,” said Sage Patel, now a student at Los Osos High School. “I think that Mr. Gossage had a meaningful impact on my life, and on so many other students.”

The newsroom became more than just a classroom. For many students, it became a second family.

“The kids this year will miss that sense of having a family in a class,” Sage added. “You don’t have to worry about who’s judging you or not.”

Current student Maddy S. agreed. “I am going to miss the teacher, and a lot of the people in our class,” she said. “I am just so comfortable with everyone in the classroom.”

The influence of the program spread far beyond Day Creek’s campus. Former staff members carried the skills they learned to Rancho Cucamonga High School and Los Osos High School.

Those students say the experience gave them a huge advantage once they reached high school, where writing, interviewing, collaboration, and communication skills set them apart from their classmates.

“The Howl taught me how to lead, connect and communicate with all sorts of different kinds of people. I was able to grow into who I truly was and find people who are just as passionate as I am. By doing interviews, taking pictures, and improving my writing every day, I was able to learn key skills for my high school experience. My time with journalism showed me how to truly connect with others and ask all the right questions,” said Sydney Nguyen, former editor and current student at Los Osos High School. 

The true legacy of The Day Creek Howl cannot be measured in plaques or national badges.

“The Howl’s greatest legacy isn’t a badge or any award,” Mr. Gossage said. “It’s a place where junior highers learned that they have a voice.”

That lesson, students say, may be the program’s greatest achievement. Yet the awards kept coming in, and the team often ran out of wall space to post them.

“Earning a Best of SNO badge is earning a national award,” Kingston L. said. “You get to be recognized nationally.”

Yet recognition was never the only goal. The real mission was teaching students that their stories mattered.

“This program has been a highlight of my teaching career,” Mr. Gossage said. “These students taught me as much as I taught them. They showed me the power of young voices and reminded me through the ups and downs why journalism matters.”

Even as the newsroom prepares to close, many believe its influence will continue long after the final story is published.

“The Howl may not continue as a class, but its memory will continue as kids watch their world and ask plenty of honest questions,” Mr. Gossage said. “Journalism is not a classroom. It is a way of seeing and interacting with our world.”

As the last awards come down from the walls and L4 empties into the hallway one last time, one truth remains clear: The Day Creek Howl was never just a class.

It was a place where students discovered confidence, purpose, and the power of their own voices.

“When this team heads off to 8th grade and their site gets a little dusty, I hope they remember that their voices are valuable, and their stories are worth telling,” Mr. Gossage said. “If they remember that, then our program will never truly come to an end.”

This story was originally published on The Day Creek Howl on May 21, 2026.