The Vevay Reveille-Enterprise is the oldest weekly newspaper in the State of Indiana, being founded in 1816.
The Switzerland Democrat was founded in 1868, and ranks among the oldest weeklies in the state, as well.
Now, both newspapers have moved into the computer age.
Vevay Newspapers editor and general manager Patrick Lanman has announced that the newspapers have unveiled a website: www.vevaynewspapers.com.
“We’re very excited about having a new website that our readers can access and get even more information about what’s going on in our community,” Pat Lanman said. “Along with recapping some of the stories for the week, the website will also feature calendars of events, up to date obituary notices, and other information that people will want to see everyday.”
The website itself has been designed by Switzerland County High School senior Jennifer Deaton, who has been working at Vevay Newspapers since the beginning of the second semester as part of the high school’s ICE program.
“Interdisciplinary Cooperative Education” is a program designed by the high school to give students the opportunity to gain real-world job skills while finishing their high school education. Students enrolled in the program attend regular classes during the morning, and then attend a class specifically designed for the program around the noon hour.
They then spend the afternoon working at a job that meets their long term job interests.
“The program gives me the chance to get more of a grasp on what I am going on to school for,” Jennifer Deaton said. “It gives me more hands-on training, and I really like that. It’s more than just learning in the classroom — I’m really doing something that others can benefit from.”
The program at the high school is under the direction of Vern Waltz and Brenda Briggs, and when Vevay Newspapers was contacted at the end of last year about the possibility of hiring Jennifer Deaton, several options were discussed.
“Jennifer has an interest in advertising design and other aspects of the Internet,” Pat Lanman said. “We had been watching other newspapers around the state and country have websites, but this is such a small operation, I wasn’t sure how we would ever have the time to design one and then maintain it. When Jennifer came into the picture, we were glad to work cooperatively with the school.”
What Pat Lanman told Jennifer Deaton that first day was: “We want a website — design one.”
Given the chance to actually design and maintain a new website from the ground up, Jennifer Deaton began pouring through different programs and web hosting companies to find what would work best for Vevay Newspapers. After that search, she then began the process of putting the site together.
“Probably the hardest thing was designing the logo that is on the top of the main page,” Jennifer Deaton said. “We worked on several different samples before finding one that Pat liked. The brown over the letters symbolizes the hills in our county, and the blue below the letters symbolizes the river.”
Working closely with the ICE program, Jennifer Deaton spent time going back and pulling out stories and photos and other information from past issues, beginning with the first issue of 2005. Decisions had to be made about what would and would not be included, and from there different aspects of the site were built.
One of the important features of the site is that visitors will log on using their name and a password that they create. There is no cost for accessing the site, but the site gives visitors the change to interact with the newspaper by providing feedback on stories or photos. There is a feedback column at the end of each story so that visitors can respond, and information can also be directed to the newspaper staff specifically.
Those wanting to renew their subscriptions to the newspaper may do so with a credit card online, providing another feature for readers who may reside out of town.
There are calendars of events on the website, from school sports to birthdays and anniversaries; and visitors can add information to those calendars for everyone’s benefit.The Vevay Reveille-Enterprise is the oldest weekly newspaper in the State of Indiana, being founded in 1816.
The Switzerland Democrat was founded in 1868, and ranks among the oldest weeklies in the state, as well.
Now, both newspapers have moved into the computer age.
Vevay Newspapers editor and general manager Patrick Lanman has announced that the newspapers have unveiled a website: www.vevaynewspapers.com.
“We’re very excited about having a new website that our readers can access and get even more information about what’s going on in our community,” Pat Lanman said. “Along with recapping some of the stories for the week, the website will also feature calendars of events, up to date obituary notices, and other information that people will want to see everyday.”
The website itself has been designed by Switzerland County High School senior Jennifer Deaton, who has been working at Vevay Newspapers since the beginning of the second semester as part of the high school’s ICE program.
“Interdisciplinary Cooperative Education” is a program designed by the high school to give students the opportunity to gain real-world job skills while finishing their high school education. Students enrolled in the program attend regular classes during the morning, and then attend a class specifically designed for the program around the noon hour.
They then spend the afternoon working at a job that meets their long term job interests.
“The program gives me the chance to get more of a grasp on what I am going on to school for,” Jennifer Deaton said. “It gives me more hands-on training, and I really like that. It’s more than just learning in the classroom — I’m really doing something that others can benefit from.”
The program at the high school is under the direction of Vern Waltz and Brenda Briggs, and when Vevay Newspapers was contacted at the end of last year about the possibility of hiring Jennifer Deaton, several options were discussed.
“Jennifer has an interest in advertising design and other aspects of the Internet,” Pat Lanman said. “We had been watching other newspapers around the state and country have websites, but this is such a small operation, I wasn’t sure how we would ever have the time to design one and then maintain it. When Jennifer came into the picture, we were glad to work cooperatively with the school.”
What Pat Lanman told Jennifer Deaton that first day was: “We want a website — design one.”
Given the chance to actually design and maintain a new website from the ground up, Jennifer Deaton began pouring through different programs and web hosting companies to find what would work best for Vevay Newspapers. After that search, she then began the process of putting the site together.
“Probably the hardest thing was designing the logo that is on the top of the main page,” Jennifer Deaton said. “We worked on several different samples before finding one that Pat liked. The brown over the letters symbolizes the hills in our county, and the blue below the letters symbolizes the river.”
Working closely with the ICE program, Jennifer Deaton spent time going back and pulling out stories and photos and other information from past issues, beginning with the first issue of 2005. Decisions had to be made about what would and would not be included, and from there different aspects of the site were built.
One of the important features of the site is that visitors will log on using their name and a password that they create. There is no cost for accessing the site, but the site gives visitors the change to interact with the newspaper by providing feedback on stories or photos. There is a feedback column at the end of each story so that visitors can respond, and information can also be directed to the newspaper staff specifically.
Those wanting to renew their subscriptions to the newspaper may do so with a credit card online, providing another feature for readers who may reside out of town.
There are calendars of events on the website, from school sports to birthdays and anniversaries; and visitors can add information to those calendars for everyone’s benefit.
Specific areas of the site include news, sports, obituaries, photo galleries, and current and past “Reflections of the Past” and “To The Point” columns.
Local businesses will also have the opportunity to connect to the website, and there is also a link to the Switzerland County School Corporation’s website.
“We hope that everyone will use the site on a daily basis,” Jennifer Deaton said. “We will be updating obituary information everyday so people will have access to that information, and we hope to have photo galleries so that people can see more photos of events in addition to those found in the newspaper.”
After she graduates from Switzerland County High School this June, Jennifer Deaton plans on attending Louisville Technical College this fall, working in an 18-month intensive program in computer graphics. She hopes someday to have her own agency, working with businesses on different projects related to advertising and the Internet.
She is the daughter of Sheri Deaton of near Vevay and Todd Deaton of Vevay.
Until she leaves for college, Jennifer Deaton will continue to maintain the Vevay Newspapers website — and plans are being made for after she leaves.
“We hope to continue being a part of the ICE program,” Pat Lanman said. “I think it’s an excellent way for students to get some real world training. Hopefully there will be a student next fall who has these same interests and wants to work on our website. As long as the program continues, we hope to partner with the school to give kids this chance. We’re very proud of our association with, and support of, the schools in the county.”
Specific areas of the site include news, sports, obituaries, photo galleries, and current and past “Reflections of the Past” and “To The Point” columns.
Local businesses will also have the opportunity to connect to the website, and there is also a link to the Switzerland County School Corporation’s website.
“We hope that everyone will use the site on a daily basis,” Jennifer Deaton said. “We will be updating obituary information everyday so people will have access to that information, and we hope to have photo galleries so that people can see more photos of events in addition to those found in the newspaper.”
After she graduates from Switzerland County High School this June, Jennifer Deaton plans on attending Louisville Technical College this fall, working in an 18-month intensive program in computer graphics. She hopes someday to have her own agency, working with businesses on different projects related to advertising and the Internet.
She is the daughter of Sheri Deaton of near Vevay and Todd Deaton of Vevay.
Until she leaves for college, Jennifer Deaton will continue to maintain the Vevay Newspapers website — and plans are being made for after she leaves.
“We hope to continue being a part of the ICE program,” Pat Lanman said. “I think it’s an excellent way for students to get some real world training. Hopefully there will be a student next fall who has these same interests and wants to work on our website. As long as the program continues, we hope to partner with the school to give kids this chance. We’re very proud of our association with, and support of, the schools in the county.”