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Laconia High School launches pilot 'Local News Lab' with Granite State News Collaborative
Summary
Students at Laconia High School have begun a pilot Local News Lab in partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative and the Laconia Daily Sun; six students are enrolled and the program will produce reported pieces for print or multimedia by early summer.
Laconia High School students and district staff on Tuesday introduced a pilot "Local News Lab" that pairs classroom workshops with professional reporters from the Granite State News Collaborative. The program, run out of the district’s Office of Extended Learning, holds seven one-hour workshops on Thursdays and enrolled six students in its first term.
Candace Hyde, the district’s extended learning coordinator, said the program is designed not only to help students interested in journalism but to teach “a lot of great skills that are going to help them ... throughout their lifetime.” Hyde said the sessions combine instruction and practical reporting practice, and the goal is for each student to complete a published piece by early summer.
Gabe Perry, a reporter with the Laconia Daily Sun and member of the Granite State News Collaborative, said the collaborative’s partners often share stories across member outlets. “Any story that I report or that one of my colleagues reports can and often is printed in many different publications around the state,” Perry said, noting there is potential for wider distribution depending on the subject’s statewide interest. He said students who produce exemplary work may have opportunities for stipends or freelance assignments with partner publications.
Two students described proposed story ideas. One student said she planned to examine the rise in gas prices and how that may affect marinas in the Lakes Region; another said she would report on how the local SPCA brings and cares for animals transferred from other states. Both students emphasized the hands‑on learning and the opportunity to ask questions of working journalists during sessions.
Program staff said equipment and school editing software will be available for audio, video and photo reporting, but most students in the pilot are leaning toward print reporting. Presenters estimated completed projects would be ready around June 4 and published when space allows in partner outlets.
The board received the presentation without objection and noted the program could expand to other Bel County schools or additional age groups if the pilot proves successful.
