We have exciting news to share with Lane County high school teachers and their students!

Just two months after launching Lookout for Teachers, sidekick to Lookout in the Classroom (LOIC), sign-ups are rolling in and support for the program is growing. Thanks to generous philanthropy from the Chambers Family Foundation, Emerald Broadband, the Mehlum Family Foundation, the Baker Family, and Dan and Peggy Neal, we’ve been able to expand this first wave to offer 510 free Lookout memberships to high school teachers across Lane County. 

There’s no catch; teachers can sign up here with their .edu email and complete a brief survey to gain full access to Lookout’s coverage, recieve our weekly Educator Newsletter, and tools to easily integrate local news and media literacy into their lesson plans.

At the same time, we’re eager to announce that applications are now open for Lookout’s 2026 Journalism Scholarship Challenge! Lane County high school students are invited to write about an “unsung hero” in their community; the folks whose everyday efforts make a meaningful difference, perhaps without well-deserved recognition. 

The top 10 submitted stories will be published on Lookout Eugene-Springfield, and the authors of the top three entries will each receive a $500 scholarship to support an education-related purchase. Students are encouraged to develop skills they can use in any area –– interviewing, reporting, writing, and visual storytelling — while letting their own voice shine as they highlight someone making an impact.

Alongside other LOIC resources, these programs reflect Lookout’s commitment to supporting media literacy and local storytelling in classrooms across the county. By pairing free access to independent journalism with this hands-on reporting opportunity for students, we aim to make civic engagement feel relevant, empowering, and rooted in the community.

Help us get the word out! Please share this with the high school students and teachers in your life. For questions or feedback, please reach out to me at olivia@lookoutlocal.com; we’d love to hear your thoughts as we continue working to make Lookout Eugene-Springfield the best it can be.