COEUR d'ALENE - The staff at the Sentinel, North Idaho College's student newspaper, put a lot of extra work into the latest issue. And it's easy to see - with 3-D glasses.

Color images throughout the paper are in 3-D, and tucked inside each issue is a pair of paper-framed glasses with the traditional red and blue lenses.

Geoff Carr, the Sentinel advisor and journalism instructor at NIC, said he hopes the 3,000 papers printed will be enough to go around for students and other curious readers.

"We just thought that some time in the future we needed to do a 3-D issue," Carr said Tuesday.

It turned out Monday was that time.

"We put a lot of work into this one," he said. "We wanted to challenge ourselves."

He said the cost wasn't much beyond previous issues, as the 3-D glasses only cost 8 cents each.

Devin Heilman, managing editor of the paper, said she saw plenty of people with the new issue as she walked through campus.

"It's a really good feeling to know people are looking at our work," said Heilman, 26. It's her first year as managing editor, and this marks the third issue with her at the helm.

Heilman, a graduate of Coeur d'Alene High School, said she put in 100 hours herself on the 3-D issue, and work started about a week earlier than normal. Page designers tried to get as many photos on color pages as possible.

"I'm so proud of our staff, and proud to be part of the Sentinel," she said.

Heilman said the issue came about for multiple reasons: The paper's staff wanted to do a fun issue for Halloween and wanted to have an exiting one to bring to a student newspaper competition that starts Thursday in Orlando, Fla. Five students are headed there for the conference, but many more attend a spring conference in New York each year.

"We really wanted to bring something to the table," she said.

The inspiration for a 3-D issue also came from the Harry Potter series of books. The Daily Prophet newspaper in the series has moving pictures.

An article in the Oct. 24 Sentinel features the new Pottermore website by author J.K. Rowling. The website gives readers a place to get more Harry Potter now that the book series has ended.

The pure challenge of it, the upcoming school newspaper conference in Florida, Harry Potter, and a desire to get more eyes on the Sentinel all led to a 3-D issue being published.

Carr said the Sentinel crew first got the idea to do a 3-D issue at a school newspaper conference in New York, when another school showed up with one.

"It was literally the only newspaper I brought back" from the conference, Carr said. "We kind of one-upped it."

Carr said he is proud of the paper's staff, many of whom earn very little college credit for their efforts. Editors do earn scholarships.

"It's a one-credit course, but it's amazing how much effort they put into it," Carr said.