HOLD the front page! The next generation of top-notch journalists have got their feet on the career ladder thanks to The Comet. Your favourite local newspaper has launched a very special project involving nine schools across Herts and Beds. Over the next

HOLD the front page!

The next generation of top-notch journalists have got their feet on the career ladder thanks to The Comet.

Your favourite local newspaper has launched a very special project involving nine schools across Herts and Beds.

Over the next few months, pupils at the schools will work towards creating their very own 16-page newspaper which will be published in June.

The style and content of the paper will be entirely up to the students and they will be responsible for all aspects including selling advertising, designing pages and writing stories.

Two Year 10 representatives from each school came to The Comet offices in Stevenage this week to start the project.

They will now be in charge of collecting stories and ideas from pupils at their school and will meet several times before June to plan the paper.

Comet editor Darren Isted said: "The project is very exciting for both The Comet and the schools involved.

"Not only will the students gain invaluable experience and insight into producing a newspaper but each school will be able to sell copies of the paper to raise funds.

"Our first session went very well and already the participants are coming up with some great ideas and really making the paper their own.

"I'm looking forward to working with all the students over the next few months and seeing what they will produce."

The schools taking part are: Barclay, Barnwell, John Henry Newman and Thomas Alleyne in Stevenage, Hitchin Boys', Hitchin Girls' and The Priory in Hitchin, Princess Helena College in Preston and Samuel Whitbread in Clifton.