If local news is about finding and telling stories of those around us, the team behind C'est la Vie has got it right. Unlike the first edition of the French magazine which looked outward, discussing the 2000 Paris agreement that hoped to bring together nations in a collective fight against climate change, the next edition, due this month, looks onwards, straight into the lives of those who make it, and read it. Run by 17-year-old editors, Utsah Thakur and Diya Jain, the in-house publication of the DY Patil International School in Worli is teaching the students a thing or two about being autonomous, resourceful and vocal. Sheetal Ramkrishnani, their French professor, says it started as a project to help hone language skills, and encourage the students to research and discuss global trends, whether Europe's take on the climate crisis or the stereotypes associated with French fashion. But, when the pandemic disrupted life as the kids knew it, the magazine became their choice of expression. A whole issue dedicated to lockdown stories is what the editors planned. "Students are missing their classmates, teachers and the physical school setup in general. They want to come back to their normal selves, but they are taking this tough challenge in their stride," she says. Instead of world politics and the recipe for cherry galettes, the team decided they'd allow the students to turn the lens on themselves, turning narrators and photographers despite being restricted to their homes. The result: a whole issue packed with quarantine articles, including how to stay fit despite restricted movement, taking care of the eyes given the daily online classes, keeping abreast with the latest in digital technology, and a fun section on memes, poems, comics and games. "A classmate has written a piece titled, Confinement, which discusses various ways in which to preserve mental health," Thakur adds.