The Sussex Ledger opens reporting programs to high school and college students

Sussex County students who want to see their reporting published get their chance in January 2027. The Sussex Ledger is opening two programs: Sussex Ledger Student Writers for high school students and Sussex Ledger College Correspondents for college students. A playoff run, a club fundraiser, a new business in town or a question nobody has answered yet can all be a Ledger story.

Sussex Ledger Student Writers is open to high school students in Sussex County. Students can write about their own school, about events anywhere in the county or about stories of public interest. They don't have to cover council and government meetings. A student who has noticed something in the hallway or the town that nobody has written up can pitch it.

Students who are interested in government can take that route instead. They can cover County Council, planning and zoning, the school board and town meetings, and the Ledger will help them read the agendas.

Sussex Ledger College Correspondents is for college students from Sussex County or studying in the county. It starts the same month as Student Writers, covers the same topics and follows the same editing process.

Every story in both programs is edited by a Ledger editor and fact-checked against its sources. Where public records exist, the story links to them, so readers can see the documents behind the reporting. Published stories count as clips that students can use for college applications and portfolios.

To express interest, email [email protected] with your name, school, grade and a story idea. A parent or guardian permission step comes before anything is published, so a student's story won't run until that is done.

Teachers who want to tell their students about the programs can email the same address.