A Champion of the Student Writer.

SUDBURY, Mass. -- William H. Fitzhugh, the cantankerous publisher of a journal that showcases high school research papers, sits at his computer in a cluttered office above a secondhand shop here, deploring the nation's declining academic standards. ''Most kids don't know how to write, don't know any history, and that's a disgrace,'' Mr. Fitzhugh said. ''Writing is the most dumbed-down subject in our schools.'' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]