Dressed in a suit, with a briefcase in his hand and a smile on his face, 10-year-old James Aguire exudes confidence.
And why not? Selling advertising for a monthly newspaper, particularly one published by him and his friends, can be rewarding.
“When you ask somebody for an ad, and they say, ‘Sure, how much will it be?’, it’s really uplifting, and you get energy to sell more ads,” James says, proudly noting he earned $15 in commissions during a recent month.
The DAZ News is written by kids for kids in East Dallas. The six-page newspaper, distributed the 15th of each month, is published by Lakewood Elementary School students James and Mary Beth Aguire, Preston and Paige Zapffe, and Jarrett and Megan Dennen.
DAZ, in case you didn’t know, stands for Dennen, Aguire and Zapffe.
The DAZ News is printed at a local office supplies store, and the 500 copies distributed are placed at the Lakewood Library, Ice Cream on the Rocks, Dixie Lakewood and in other advertisers’ shops.
James’ mother, Debbie Aguire, spends up to 30 hours monthly coordinating the young reporters’ efforts.
“It’s a great learning experience,” she says. “It is not only educational, but important in learning to operate a business.”
Not surprisingly, James’ favorite job is selling ads, which are priced from $5 to $40. Of course, he says, writing can be fun, too.
“When you finish an article and you say: ‘Look what I did,’ it feels neat,” says James, who wants to be a pulmonary specialist when he grows up. He believes writing for the DAZ News will help his career.
“Doctors do a lot of paperwork,” he says.
Mary Beth Aguire, 8, types her own articles and often develops story ideas. Among her publishing lessons: “Writing a newspaper isn’t that easy.”
The oldest staff reporter is 12-year-old Jarrett Dennen. The well-traveled Jarrett has written articles about a snorkeling expedition in the Bahamas, a skate park, and a sports camp near San Antonio.
Preston Zapffe, 11, who enjoys working with computers, develops most of the newspaper’s mazes and crossword puzzles. Preston says almost everything about the DAZ News has been beneficial.
“I have learned correct writing, how to use the computer, how to manage money, how to give receipts, and how to manage and own a business,” Preston says.
The worst part about the publishing business?
“Stapling,” he says.
