The newspaper at Albert Lea High School recently started its new website that will have more features and flexibility than the last.

The Ahlahasa launched its new website with content from its December issue, and Riley Worth, Ahlahasa’s adviser, has big plans for the new site.

“We’re slowly getting more and more elements up,” Worth said.

Worth said he doesn’t have much experience working on websites but was ready to learn when junior Alek Struck offered to take over the site. Struck likes learning about web development in his spare time, and Worth thought he would be able to learn about the site and train other students.

“This is something I do in my spare time for fun,” Struck said.

Struck said other students on the staff write their articles or make videos, and he uploads the website. He said the old website was boring to look at, and he likes much of the new site. Someday he may pursue a career in web development, but he said even if he doesn’t pursue a career in it that it will be a good skill to have.

New to the website is social media like a live Twitter feed and a Facebook account that tries to draw its fans to the new Ahlahasa website.

“We’re still learning how to do those things,” Worth said.

Also, Worth will be able to see how many people clicked on certain articles and what is more popular on the site. Eventually he’d like to have poll questions to find out what readers would rather read or see in the newspaper and on the site. The publications class will also work with video production students to create videos for the website.

Worth said the new website will allow them much more flexibility and options. The older website was made to be very simple so anyone could use it, which didn’t allow the staff to make the site unique.

“It looked identical to other high school websites,” Worth said.

The new website has a rotating photo display at the top that Worth hopes will force students to be better photographers. He said that’s an area of the website that would draw people in so the photos would have to interest the reader.

Farther into the future Worth hopes the site can become more interactive and that the staff may be able to sell advertising for the site.

Visit the site at www.ahlahasa.com.