Mini Page
Encyclopedia
The Mini Page is a syndicated
newspaper supplement
for children, created and authored by Betty Debnam.
. Its regular features include short articles, puzzles, jokes, and recipes. Universal Press has also published several Mini Page spinoff books covering subjects such as history, geography and the environment.
The supplement was conceived as a cross between the Weekly Reader
and a newspaper comics
section, with an underlying mission of encouraging family-centered reading and literacy
. It was the first supplement of its kind when it debuted in August 1969 in the Raleigh, North Carolina
News and Observer
. The Mini Page's first issue had a "Back to School" theme and included a mini-profile of L.A. Rams
quarterback Roman Gabriel
and a "Faces in the News" section asking readers to identify a picture of Spiro Agnew
.
When Debnam created the Mini Page, she had been an elementary school
teacher for twelve years and had never drawn before. Initially, she handled all tasks involved in the Mini Page's production, including researching, producing, laying out and editing all the content. She was also responsible for selling advertising, which is no longer included in the supplement. Debnam now has a two-person staff but still researches and writes the front and back pages of each issue.
. In 2001, Debnam was inducted into the Association of Educational Publishers
' hall of fame. She won a 2007 Distinguished Achievement Award from the AEP for The Mini Page Guide to the Constitution, a nine-part series that was released as a book by Andrews McMeel after appearing in newspapers.
. Her grandfather was a school superintendent and edited the newspaper; her father was a newspaper reporter in Norfolk, Virginia
. Debnam is married to Richard Hunt, a former Associated Press
reporter and military adviser to Hubert Humphrey
.
Print syndication
Print syndication distributes news articles, columns, comic strips and other features to newspapers, magazines and websites. They offer reprint rights and grant permissions to other parties for republishing content of which they own/represent copyrights....
newspaper supplement
Supplement (publishing)
A supplement is a publication that has a role secondary to that of another preceding or concurrent publication.A follow-on publication complements its predecessor, either by bringing it up-to-date , or by otherwise enhancing the predecessor's coverage of a particular topic or subject matter, as in...
for children, created and authored by Betty Debnam.
History
The Mini Page began in August 1969 and appears weekly in over five hundred newspapers in the United States as an offering of Universal Press SyndicateUniversal Press Syndicate
Universal Press Syndicate, a subsidiary of Andrews McMeel Universal, is the world's largest independent press syndicate. It distributes lifestyle and opinion columns, comic strips and other content. Popular columns include Dear Abby, Ann Coulter, Roger Ebert and News of the Weird...
. Its regular features include short articles, puzzles, jokes, and recipes. Universal Press has also published several Mini Page spinoff books covering subjects such as history, geography and the environment.
The supplement was conceived as a cross between the Weekly Reader
Weekly Reader
Weekly Reader is a weekly educational classroom magazine designed for children in grades Pre-K–12. It began in 1928 as My Weekly Reader....
and a newspaper comics
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
section, with an underlying mission of encouraging family-centered reading and literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
. It was the first supplement of its kind when it debuted in August 1969 in the Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
News and Observer
The News & Observer
The News & Observer is the regional daily newspaper of the Research Triangle area of the U.S. State of North Carolina. The N&O, as it is popularly called, is based in Raleigh and also covers Durham, Cary, and Chapel Hill. The paper also has substantial readership in most of the state east of...
. The Mini Page's first issue had a "Back to School" theme and included a mini-profile of L.A. Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
quarterback Roman Gabriel
Roman Gabriel
Roman Ildonzo Gabriel, Jr. is a former American football player. The son of a Filipino immigrant, he was the first Asian-American to start as an NFL quarterback and is considered by many to have been one of the best players at that position during the late 1960s and early 70s.Gabriel attended and...
and a "Faces in the News" section asking readers to identify a picture of Spiro Agnew
Spiro Agnew
Spiro Theodore Agnew was the 39th Vice President of the United States , serving under President Richard Nixon, and the 55th Governor of Maryland...
.
When Debnam created the Mini Page, she had been an elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
teacher for twelve years and had never drawn before. Initially, she handled all tasks involved in the Mini Page's production, including researching, producing, laying out and editing all the content. She was also responsible for selling advertising, which is no longer included in the supplement. Debnam now has a two-person staff but still researches and writes the front and back pages of each issue.
Awards
In 1999, as the Mini Page celebrated its thirtieth anniversary, Debnam was inducted into the North Carolina Journalism Hall of Fame and received the first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award from the Newspaper Association of AmericaNewspaper Association of America
The Newspaper Association of America is a trade association representing approximately 2000 newspapers in the United States and Canada. Member newspapers represented by the NAA include large daily papers, non-daily and small-market publications, as well as digital and multiplatform...
. In 2001, Debnam was inducted into the Association of Educational Publishers
Association of Educational Publishers
The Association of Educational Publishers is an American professional organization for educational publishers. It is a non-profit organization and is active in public awareness campaigns on effective educational resources, as well as aiding communication between educational organizations, such as...
' hall of fame. She won a 2007 Distinguished Achievement Award from the AEP for The Mini Page Guide to the Constitution, a nine-part series that was released as a book by Andrews McMeel after appearing in newspapers.
Betty Debnam
Debnam credits her inspiration for the Mini Page to her family, especially her grandmother, who ran a small weekly newspaper in Snow Hill, North CarolinaSnow Hill, North Carolina
Snow Hill is a town in Greene County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,564 at the 2008 census. It is the county seat of Greene County and is part of the Greenville Metropolitan Area...
. Her grandfather was a school superintendent and edited the newspaper; her father was a newspaper reporter in Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
. Debnam is married to Richard Hunt, a former Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reporter and military adviser to Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. , served under President Lyndon B. Johnson as the 38th Vice President of the United States. Humphrey twice served as a United States Senator from Minnesota, and served as Democratic Majority Whip. He was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and...
.
Additional articles
- Broadwell, Charles. "The Mini Page's seal of approval." Fayetteville ObserverFayetteville ObserverThe Fayetteville Observer is a daily newspaper published in Fayetteville, North Carolina. It has been locally owned by the same family for over 80 years, and claims to be the largest independent newspaper in the state....
, 2001-11-04. - Drevets, Trivia. "She meshes teaching with newspapers." Editor & PublisherEditor & PublisherEditor & Publisher is a monthly magazine covering the North American newspaper industry. It is based in New York City. E&P calls itself "America's Oldest Journal Covering the Newspaper Industry" and describes itself on its website as "the authoritative journal covering all aspects of the North...
, 1987-01-17, p. 44. - Hellinger, Dan. "Post's Mini Page brainwashes children." St. Louis Post-DispatchSt. Louis Post-DispatchThe St. Louis Post-Dispatch is the major city-wide newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri. Although written to serve Greater St. Louis, the Post-Dispatch is one of the largest newspapers in the Midwestern United States, and is available and read as far west as Kansas City, Missouri, as far south as...
, 1999-02-01.