It’s not everyday that you meet a child and think to yourself, I’m going to remember this kid’s name, because he/she is going to make a positive dent in our future.  We are deeply inspired by this young man and you will be, too.

1. You recently published the first edition of The Wash Park Kid Times. Tell us how you came up with this wonderful idea of featuring the writing of local kids and their parents.

Well, first of all, my parents got me a typewriter for 5th grade continuation.  When I saw the typewriter two thoughts popped into my head: Wow and hey I could do a newspaper! When I learned more about writing a newspaper, I realized it is very hard to write a newspaper on  a typewriter, so I switched to computer.  I knew there were not many newspapers dedicated to Wash Park where I live, and not many newspapers that are kid friendly. So I thought of the name, “The Wash Park Kid Times,” and thought that kids could also write articles as well as parents.

2. In June, you graduated from 5th grade at Steele Elementary. Where do you plan on going to Middle School? Did you have a particular teacher at Steele who influenced your latest publishing venture? Or was it inspired elsewhere?

I plan to go to the Denver School of the Arts, Theatre Department. At Steele, the most influential teachers in reading, writing and working my hardest were Ms. Natalie, Ms. Shelly, Mr. Brad, Ms. Tiffany, and Ms Patty. They have all partly influenced me. I also got the inspiration when I was at my chiropractor and was reading magazines. I thought it was so cool that people dedicated their time to make other people happy, and that is what I plan to do my entire life. Newspapers are hard to make, but are also so fun to read. That makes people happy.

3. How long have you lived in Wash Park? What do you love about growing up in this neighborhood?

I lived here my entire life, moving from Gaylord Street to here at Williams Street. I love the park for I spend a lot of my time there. I am only 2 blocks away from the park and bike, walk, scooter or hover board there almost every day in the summer. We also bike to the shops including Bonnie Brae Ice Cream, the Gaylord street shops, and Fooducopia’s corner store.

4. The Wash Park Kid Times is not your first run at entrepreneurship. Can you tell us about your “Cocoa for Cade” project?

My friend named Cade Humphreys suffered from brain cancer, and spent most of second grade in the hospital. While he was in hospital, there were many projects that raised money for Cade. For example, there was a program called “Bracelets for Cade” and “Cans for Cade,” but they did not do many things for Cade. I was BARELY a part of these fundraisers. It was only at the end of his treatment when I thought of what I could do to help out Cade. I was in a phase of hot coco and got the idea, what if I sold hot coco to help raise money for Cade? On my first stand I only raised $24, and then it went on the news, got bigger and bigger, and… POW! Now, two years later, I raised over $13,000 for Cade by selling Hot Cocoa, selling lemonade, and having a BUNCH of nice people who donated!

5.  How can we get our hands on a copy of your publication?

You can email my mum, Jocasta Champion at JocastaC@comcast.net for an online copy or online subscription.  Another way you could get my paper is to go to the Eugene Field library, and they have copies you can read. We are also starting a website that you can go to read my newspaper. The name of the website is www.TristansWorkshop.com.

6. Where do you see yourself in ten years?

When I try and look into the future and see myself, I think of being a person who does very good things, like giving homeless people homes, caring for starving children and fighting against wars. I also think of myself going to the Air Force Academy, because I want to go to a good college and learn how to fly a plane.  Another thing I see myself doing is acting in the West End (London), or on Broadway. I love acting!

7. How do you spend your free time when you’re not raising money for a good cause, and publishing your magazine?

I like to go to Elitch Gardens Theme Park and my favorite ride is either the Twister 2, or Trokia. I also like to play baseball at the Rec. Center.  I go to many pools during summer and in the winter I like to ski. I have a nice amount of friends, so that means I have a nice amount of play dates.  Me and my friends like to go to the park and play at the playground, and sometimes even get to go to the lake to go boating. I go to Dave and Buster’s quite a few times during the year, and LOVE to play with Lego’s. I like to have movie nights, and the last movie we saw was Mrs. Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children.

8. How do the budding authors of our neighborhood get their writing into The Wash Park Kid Times?

They can email the article they want to publish to my mother, Jocasta Champion at JocastaC@comcast.net.  She shows me the article for verification that it is appropriate and is all true  (unless it is a fiction story). If it gets through me, it makes it into the current paper or the next month’s paper.

We are lucky to have you as our neighbor and we look forward to seeing where your dreams take you!