News seniors can use: High school journalists publish newspaper for retirement residents

When visiting his grandmother in a care center before her passing, Bryan Wnek noticed she “missed what was going on in the outside world.”

That meant she missed a local newspaper, which over time has become as much a digital product as a paper product in your hands. That’s not always an easy thing for those in care or retirement facilities to access or navigate.

But in knowing what keeping abreast of local news can mean to those who live in a retirement or care community, Wnek, a junior at Batavia High School, and fellow students Lexi Kammes, a sophomore, and Ben Manikas, a junior, felt it was the perfect idea to create a biweekly news product for these types of centers as their project in the INCubator entrepreneurship business program at the high school.

The students recently sent out their fourth issue of Windmill Weekly, a 12- to 16-page tabloid size printed newspaper with larger type size for easier reading. It’s the business project they chose through the national program led at Batavia by Dennis Piron, the popular and successful football coach at the school.

The students take on all aspects of the Windmill Weekly, from content creation to marketing and distribution. They write pieces, engage modern technology to help create content and build the news pages.

“At the beginning of the INCubator class, Mr. Piron asks you to pick out 10 businesses you would like to look into,” Lexi Kammes said. “We wanted to do something community-based. Though it was not our first choice initially, the more we scoped it out and reached out in the community, we came to choose the Windmill Weekly as our project.”

Because much news content these days is online, the students wanted to bring back a paper news product, which stood out as something residents of centers wanted, Kammes noted.

“We work really good together,” Wnek said of the Windmill Weekly team.

“I am more part of the leadership, to get out there and meet people, start the conversations (about Windmill Weekly), do more of the networking events,” Wnek said of his role in spreading word about the newspaper and its goals to potential sponsors and subscribers.

Kammes handles the communication side of the business, sending out emails and other messages related to gathering information for the newspaper or introducing the team to community leaders.

Manikas works with the marketing aspects of the Windmill Weekly, taking many of the photos to promote the team’s sales-pitch events or art for stories, as well as the production work of placing art on the pages.

“When we do events, or Bryan is talking to a resident or in front of a group of people, I will take a photo and incorporate it into the newspaper,” Manikas said. “I will also insert the photos (on computer) into the actual issue.”

Each new issue stands as a teaching moment, giving the team ideas about what content to seek next and how the paper can improve.

“We look forward to each issue, to see what other types of new articles we can put in and what other information we can find,” Wnek said. “And then we reach back out to the community (for feedback and ideas).”

Wnek and Kammes write school-related news items and features, but use AI and ChatGPT technology to help formulate news items from information they gather or receive from the park district, city or other organizations.

Manikas has not written a story, but has had much input into story ideas and other content the team can pursue. “Bryan is our main writer and he runs with those ideas,” he said.

The Windmill Weekly, with between 100 and 110 copies printed for each issue through Batavia Printing, has been distributed to Heritage Woods, The Holmstad and The Landings, all retirement living centers in Batavia.

Those centers bought into the concept and have purchased papers for its residents to read. Such a response has the students considering what type of expansion they could pursue as they keep the business going after the school year.

Wnek and Kammes plan to keep producing the Windmill Weekly, with some help as needed from Manikas, who has some other summer commitments.

“We are getting interested in retirement communities, too … the retirement world,” Kammes said. “We’d like to include Geneva and St. Charles, too.”

Currently, the team is focused on finding sponsors “so we can really stay on top of growing,” she added.

The team points to mentor Emily Hubbard, as a key person who proofs the paper’s pages before going to print. Hubbard, who works for Microsoft in Oswego, has significant connections with Batavia through family members who have been in the education field.

“She is not connected with the INCubator program itself,” Kammes said of Hubbard. “But she loves helping and connecting with the business world.”

Sponsors have various options for purchasing advertisements to appear in the Windmill Weekly. Four sponsors have committed to placing ads. Information about sponsorship and subscriptions is available on the team’s thewindmillweekly.com website.

After interviewing these students, it’s safe to say the INCubator program is doing what it is supposed to do for young entrepreneurs. These students want the Windmill Weekly to grow. You know, like a business.

Some wines to try

There will be plenty of wine sipping going on in Batavia again Saturday, June 6, when the park district hosts its annual Batavia Uncorked outdoor wine event.

Batavia Park District promotes this event, taking place on the Batavia Riverwalk at the Peg Bond Center, as one for seasoned wine enthusiasts as well as those just starting explore the world of fine wines.

From 1 to 4 p.m., attendees can try red, white or rose wines from various vendors, including Broken Brix Winery and Cidery, Geneva Winery, Lynfred Winery, The Pour Vineyard, PRP Wine, Sturdy Shelter, Trader Joe’s, Up North Wine Tasting Room and Waterman Winery.

More information about the event is available at bataviaparks.org. The park district noted that discounted tickets are available through May 31.

Swim at the Commons

After participating in the recycling and document shredding event at the Geneva Commons last week, a Commons employee handed us a gift bag for participating.

It was a nice touch, with several discount coupons for places to shop and eat.

But there was a news item hiding in the bag. An advertisement flyer was included for BigBlue Swim School, which will open in the near future at 530 Commons Drive in an area close to the Commons offices.

Swim schools for ages 3 to 12 like BigBlue are popular throughout the suburbs, and it seems as if it would be a good fit to add this to the Commons.

The school is establishing an information site online for parents to keep tabs on when BigBlue would open and what it offers.

Let them ride bikes

As part of the Tri-City Corps of the Salvation Army’s 75th anniversary celebration this year, local SA leaders are setting up various events.

One next week has a nice catch to it, as the organization wants to supply a bicycle to at least 75 children who otherwise may not have one.

Donations of new or gently used bikes and bike locks will be accepted from 1 to 4 p.m. Friday, May 1, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 2, at the Salvation Army center at 1710 S. Seventh Ave. in St. Charles. (Reminder, these donations are not taken at the Salvation Army Thrift Store on the city’s west side.)

Youths who obtain a donated bike receive a helmet from the Bike Rack in St. Charles as well as a free bicycle safety course.

Let’s go to the parade

We weren’t even over the initial shock of the Geneva Swedish Days parade being taken off the calendar, when key volunteers and financial supporters rose to the occasion last week and declared the parade back on our summer to-do list.

That’s not bad, considering many of my conversations the week prior were about trying to talk some folks off the ledge in saying it could somehow be revived in the future.

I didn’t even say “sooner, rather than later.” But what I should have said, and was hoping myself, was that a lot of people really care about this event and someone or some group would rise to the occasion.

That happened when those at State Street Jewelers said they would organize the parade. They are calling it “smaller” and “community-driven,” so if anyone wants to complain about that, get it out of your system now, or volunteer to help in some manner.

After the initial word that the parade was kaput, I told my wife that a good bet would be that Mike Simon, owner of the Little Traveler, would help out in some fashion. Simon, along with chamber president Michael Olson, owner of Stockholm’s restaurant, are providing funds for the parade.

As the parade gets smaller (and it will, simply because of economics and fewer businesses around that were parade-float regulars in years gone by), festival planners might be able to crack the code on what it would take for people to hang around town after the parade on the festival’s final day.

A new theme to attract people might provide a marketing boost, but any ideas that would keep the food booths humming for the service clubs manning them are worth visiting.

As a guy who has eaten at those booths during the festival for 50 years now with friends and family, I am all for that. But an “after parade special” for discounts at some stores might also be worth contemplating.

Did you know?

Geneva’s first summer festival was held in mid-July of 1947, under the name of “Geneva Days.”

It was created with the idea of drawing customers to the various shops in town, hoping they were eager to spend money after the rationing of the previous six years during World War II.

The festival would become Swedish Days in 1949 and was moved to June to be closer to traditional Swedish midsummer festivals.

dheun@sbcglobal.net