LAKELAND, Fla. — Two siblings are putting College Avenue on the map in Lakeland. They’ve banded together to create College Ave-News, a neighborhood paper focused on sharing the stories of the locals.
As the saying goes, “two heads are better than one.” And in this sibling duo, Elliott and Henry Hall are putting their heads together to share their hobbies in a unique way.
“I love writing, it’s awesome,“ said Elliott.
“Also I love taking pictures,” Henry said.
A few months ago, they created College Ave-News, a paper focused solely on the stories right in their neighborhood.
“I just thought the idea of making a newspaper would be fun, and I already had a name, it just popped into my head: College Ave-News,“ said Elliott.
The first edition was about the cats in the area, and the second provided an inside look into a library associate’s job.
Elliott oversees writing, and Henry is behind the camera.
Henry says it provides an image in the minds of readers. “Like the saying, a picture is worth a thousand words. If you have pictures, it kind of helps you tell the story of what’s happening.”
But they’re not doing it on their own. After the first edition, they’ve recruited other kids in the neighborhood to help, like Anthem Sargeant, who oversees the comic strips. “It brings joy to everybody, it’s cool and I just like it,” he says.
And Luna Velasquez, who shares neighborhood recipes. “So other people can try it out and see if they like it.”
It’s a kid-led newsroom turning their hobbies into valuable information for neighbors.
Elliott hopes this is just the beginning. “Hoping to add games and stuff, we haven’t added them yet, and also I want to do it for a while, for a really long time.”
It’s all building a strong community through the stories they share.
The third edition of the newspaper will be released in January. They will also be including ads for $10 which will then be donated to a local charity.
Lizbeth Gutierrez
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