The Observation Deck

Great News!

In the latest issue of the Lakewood Observer, page 8 featured two stories originally printed in the Lakewood Times, the LHS student newsmagazine.

This new section is called the Best of the Times and hopefully there will be more of it is issues to come. The plan is to get at least a page in every issue.

So if you've read the Observer and the Times articles, let us know what you think. We love feedback.

I was delighted to see the feature. It's a great way to showcase the student's work to the community.

Thank you for finally making this happen.

Kenneth Warren

Kenneth Warren wrote:I was delighted to see the feature. It's a great way to showcase the student's work to the community.

Thank you for finally making this happen.

Kenneth Warren

Ken

This is just the tip of working more with the Lakewood Times. As you know we have a long history of working with members of the Times, and it has been one of our goals for many months to make this happen.

We are starting with a page, and hopefully it will grow. To many pages. At one time we had asked the Times if we could print their paper and include it in the Observer. At the time the editor of the Times did not think it was a good idea.

Thealexa Becker has been a powerhouse in this happening as has Karen Ballasch, Teresa Andreani.

As we both know, the Lakewood Times, is one of the true gems of Lakewood Schools and we are proud of the chance for this exclusive.

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Jim - you're letting members of the community participate and kids at that?

Wonderful.

I read the articles and they were very well presented. This was a marvelous idea and I hope to see more of the same.

I read the articles in the Observer today and I thoroughly enjoyed them. As some one with a degree in history and a love for this city I particularly enjoyed the second one about Coach Corneal. My Grandfather went to Lakewood High in the early 40's so I am going to have to make sure he gets a copy of that story, I think he will really enjoy it.

I've been an avid reader of the Observe for a long time and have often wondered why I never saw any articles that crossed over from the Times, so I'm glad to see this happening.

Keep up the good work!

Christopher Bindel wrote:Keep up the good work!

On behalf of all Observers, thank you.

We have been trying to work with not just the Lakewood Times but every group in town. As the Kenneth Warren director of the Lakewood Public Library always has said, it is a put up or shut up project. If you see something missing, it is not our fault, but the fault of that group or person to not putting it up.

Some of our earliest writers were Lakewood High students, that were upset over the dress code. James Rowell, and Ivor Karabotkovic, soon to follow were many, many others. Two years ago I approached the Lakewood Times about the insert idea, it was not the time. As I mentioned Teresa Andreani, has been pushing this for the LO for years, Karen Ballasch has been in close contact with the LO, but it is the young dynamo known as Thealexa Becker that has pushed it through, and we are grateful. That is a name you will be seeing for a long time to come, she is an amazing individual that comes from very good parents.

We were ridiculed by other papers 6 years ago. Today they are desperately trying to copy our format and ideas, while one of our board members is actually working with the PD to save them from themselves.

Much like Punk music, civic journalism was invented here in Lakewood.

None of this would have been possible without the help of every Lakewoodite that has taken part, posted, written, lurked, taken ads, allow us to put papers in their stores, our 9-15 year old carriers, and of course the LO board, Ken Warren, Steve Davis, DL Meckes, Heidi Hilty, Jeff Endress, Dan Ott, Steve Ott, Dan Slife Lauren Fine. In order of appearance, those in bold Lakewood High graduates. Those in italics have put all of their children through Lakewood Schools.

This is just the first of many new initiatives we will be unveiling this year.

Thanks again to you and the city of Lakewood.

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