DEL NORTE— The High Valley Community Center hosted their first community development class for their students on Tuesday, Sept. 12. The class was led by Valley Publishing Upper Rio Grande reporter Lyndsie Ferrell and Publisher/Editor Jenifer Alonzo, who began by asking if the students knew what it took to create a newspaper and proceeded into a detailed explanation of the ins and outs of the newspaper world. Students and staff of the center gathered around in the teen room to snack and listen to the presentation. They plan on creating their own newspaper for the center.
Alonzo began by explaining how the newspaper was created, showing the students an example of the Del Norte Prospector and pointing out key elements of the paper’s design and explaining what their purpose was. Students raised their hands and asked several questions pertaining to the process of making the paper as Alonzo moved from one child to the next to answer the insightful questions. Several of the students told stories of their experience with the newspaper and showed interest in the process.
Alonzo explained how the paper was printed using a printing press located at the Valley Courier in Alamosa. “There are huge rolls of paper that are fed through the machine that takes it in to print the words and pictures,” explained Alonzo. Students then asked questions like, “Why does the paper not have much color?” or “How is it printed on the paper?” to which Alonzo responded with simple answers and further explained the process. Alonzo ended with an open invitation to have the student visit the pressroom at a later time.
Next, Ferrell spoke to the students to explain the fundamentals of creating an article for the paper. “The most important thing when writing an article is to create an interesting story with a beginning, a middle and an end that captures the reader and brings them into the story,” explained the reporter. Students again showed interest in the process, raising their hands and asking questions about how stories are collected and what an interview consisted of.
The afternoon was a great success for the center. Students seemed eager to begin their work on the center’s newspaper and plan to share their first attempt with Alonzo and Ferrell.
The class was the first of many that are scheduled for the center this school year. Staff have made a schedule for community members to come and share their trades with the students to show them what it takes to be a successful business within a rural community and to have pride in the community where they live.
Other community members that will be hosting classes include a science outreach educator, Vilant Thacker, who will explain what homecoming is and the history of homecoming in Del Norte, a macramé class by Lorraine Goad and many more. Next up, the center will help celebrate the annual Oktoberfest in Del Norte and participate in the annual Scarecrow Bash.