Meet the DI News’ newest Kids Say reporter – Elyse Gerding!

She’s a girl on a mission. And she couldn’t be more excited. 

 

Daniel Island resident Elyse Gerding, 12, is the newest reporter for the popular series “Kids Say,” published weekly in The Daniel Island News. The column was put on hiatus in March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and returned with Gerding at the helm in August of this year.

 

A student at Daniel Island School, Gerding is the second in her family to take on the role. Her older sister, Bryn, now 22, filled the post when she was in middle school. Each week, Gerding gets a question from Daniel Island News Editor Zach Giroux, based on the theme of that week’s paper and poses it to six different kids. 

 

“I just like Kids Say altogether because it gives kids a chance to be in the newspaper and for some of them, it’s so sweet,” Gerding said. “They get so excited! They’re like ‘I’m gonna be famous!’”

 

Gerding often visits kid-friendly places on the island, such as Pirate Park, The Waterfront, and Publix, to collect her quotes. Most of her interviewees are more than happy to participate when they see her coming, especially the parents.

 

“A lot of the moms are like ‘Oh my gosh! I love that section! My kids are gonna be so happy!’” said Gerding, who typically interviews kids between the ages of 5-11, with some as young as 2 and 3. 

 

And if she ever encounters a shy little one, Gerding finds a way to make them feel at ease.

 

“Sometimes when they’re shy I just go ‘High Five!’” said Gerding, holding her hand in the air. “Because when they’re done, it’s so sweet.”

 

All in all, serving as the Kids Say reporter has given Gerding more confidence, she said, and the experience can also be beneficial for those she interviews.

 

“It gives them an option to be more interactive with people,” Gerding explained. “… And it makes them feel so proud. I definitely think it boosts their happiness and excitement.”

 

As for her favorite question so far? Gerding pointed to one she posed recently – What’s your favorite Thanksgiving meal? 

 

“Chicken nuggets!” she exclaimed, recalling one child’s response. “That is the cutest answer ever!”

 

Even though Gerding has only had the job for a few months, her reporting skills are already earning rave reviews.

 

“Elyse does a wonderful job as our Kids Say correspondent,” said Sue Detar, publisher/managing editor of The Daniel Island News. “She’s a real professional – she always meets deadline and brings genuine enthusiasm to the job.”

 

Kids Say debuted in the very first edition of The Daniel Island News, published on Oct. 30, 2003. At the time, the paper ran the column without photos, as they were still developing film and had not yet started using a digital camera.

 

“The island was still small and the neighborhood kids would come to my house and write out their answers on my kitchen counter,” Detar recalled. “Our first question was: What do you like about living on Daniel Island?”

 

The first to take on the role was Julia Miano, a college intern from Winthrop. After that, Detar and her children, freelance writers and the paper’s graphic artist handled the duties – until the first official Kids Say reporter, Lainey Beckler, was hired in 2007.