YELL: HAWKING PAPERS HELPS LITERACY PROGRAMS

Steve Mosley uses topics from the newspaper to fuel discussions in his civics class at Notre Dame.

Andrew Welker looked over the news about Mark McGwire hitting his 62nd home run.

Central High School seniors use the printed media and television news in a civics course.

Late-risers and procrastinators could miss out on several collectibles today if they fail to purchase a copy of the annual YELL newspaper. And they'll miss a chance to help area students, also.

Each year, volunteers from Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Scott City and Chaffee man street corners during early-morning hours to hawk special-editions of the Southeast Missourian. YELL stands for Youth, Education, Literacy and Learning.

Proceeds from the newspapers, which sell for $2, are used to provide grants to schools and other educational programs throughout the year that promote literacy and citizenship. The event also funds the Newspaper In Education (NIE) program, which provides area teachers with free newspapers to aid in classroom instruction.

"Without the Newspapers in Education program and other educational projects supported by YELL, Cape and the surrounding area served by the Southeast Missourian would lose a very valuable teaching and learning tool," said Notre Dame High School teacher Steve Mosley.

This year only 10,000 copies of the special newspaper were printed, and Southeast Missourian circulation manager Mark Kneer said he hopes to sell out before 9 a.m. The YELL edition normally includes a comic book, a regular issue of the Southeast Missourian and a readers' contest. This year, readers of all ages were invited to send in personal essays telling about their favorite books, what they read to their children and why, and other literacy topics.

Kneer said there also will be several special sections this year that make a sell-out very possible.

"We've heard from people who are excited about the newspaper's eight-day "Life or Meth" series that's included and a souvenir section dedicated to Mark McGwire," he said. St. Louis Cardinal slugger McGwire hit 62 home runs so far this season to break a record held by Roger Maris.

There's also the chance to win Beanie Babies, Kneer said.

Readers may pick up copies of the YELL paper at the West Park Mall Service Center and at the Cape Girardeau, Chaffee, and Jackson offices of the Southeast Missourian if they are missed by volunteers working the street corners. However, latecomers may find themselves without a newspaper if things go well.

"If they miss out early they can still go get one, but we only printed 10,000 copies," said Kneer. "Hopefully this will be a banner year."

Since 1991, the Southeast Missourian has coordinated the publishing and distribution of the YELL edition. The Area Wide United Way has been the parenting organization for YELL Day since its beginning, but the event is now coordinated by the newly formed YELL Foundation. The foundation is a not-for-profit organization administered by community leaders, so YELL will continue to belong to the community.