Lakewood High students revitalize Lakewood Times, launch yearbook and podcast

Abrianna Hines, a junior at Lakewood High School, told the Lakewood City Schools board that students have rebuilt the Lakewood Times and relaunched the yearbook and a monthly podcast.

Hines said the revived, student-run program this year includes a new logo, expanded course offerings (two periods during the school day), field trips to Kent State and downtown Cleveland media organizations, and a new podcast called The Archives. "This really is our first year sort of revamping and revitalizing the program and what it means to us here," Hines said.

The student reported that about 40 students take the class across two daily periods. She described curricular experiences, including meeting professional journalists at the Ohio Scholastic Media Association conference, touring the Idea Stream building and learning podcast production with assistance from a public podcast team she identified as the Buckeye Flame. Hines said the program is publishing an article nearly every day and is sharing content on Instagram and Facebook to reach families and the broader community.

Hines highlighted student achievements: multiple awards submitted to a program she described in the meeting as "Snow," a strengthened yearbook sales effort to ensure students see themselves represented, and student-made podcast music by Abby Kovach. She played a 30-second clip from the first podcast episode and said the program plans monthly releases starting in March.

The presentation drew praise from board members, who called the re-energized journalism program timely and important for student skills and civic literacy. Hines closed by directing listeners to the program website as given in the meeting: liquidtimes.net.

Why it matters: Board members framed the revival of student journalism as both an educational opportunity and a way to connect the schools with the Lakewood community.