Capturing the impact of the 2016 National Journalism Conference

Upon walking into the Westin Bonaventure hotel in Hollywood, visitors are met by the sight of thousands of high school students. The teens can be seen scattered amongst lecture rooms and plopped behind laptop screens, all unified by a single interest in journalism.

The National Scholastic Journalism Association (NSPA) and Journalism Education Association (JEA) is hosting their Spring National High School Journalism Convention, from April 14-17. For three days, student reporters are invited to attend seminars focused on the craft behind journalism. For more information about the trip to Los Angeles, check out the hashtags #FeatherTakesHollywood and #NHSJC.

The Feather sent out staffers to capture the essence of the event through the eyes of their fellow writers and reporters. In between sessions, during lunch and all the moments in between, Feather staffers gathered a collection of opinions and thoughts from their counterparts, and will be documenting them below.

The Feather encourages students and readers to submit their thoughts and suggestions in the comment section beneath the article. Anyone attending the conference is encouraged to add to this article by submitting a comment on this article, photos, videos and slideshows.

Bringing knowledge home
Rachel Halmrast, Ballard HS, Seattle, WA
April 15, 2016

“After this conference I am definitely going to have information to bring back to my newsroom and that’s very exciting. I’ve learned how to get better stories out of people and how to construct them. I would recommend this conference for anyone. It is a great experience even if you are new to journalism, you are going to learn lots of new tips and tricks.”

Hungry for truth
R.J. Morgan, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS
April 15, 2016

“This is my sixth JEA/NSPA convention that I’ve gone to as a teacher. My first time was in Boston and now I’m here in L.A. Even though the location changes all the time, I would say the students and the atmosphere remain the same. The students are hungry and driven about the work they are doing here. These students care about telling other peoples’ stories, they care about truth, about integrity, and about accuracy.”

Aspiring yearbook
Dana Dean, Lyons Township HS, La Grange, Il
April 15, 2016

“This is my first time going to a yearbook convention so I was a little bit overwhelmed, but in a good way. I really enjoy the sessions and I think I’m learning a lot. I’m trying to be the editor-in-chief next year, so I needed help on how to make a theme and things like that. It’s a big deal for me because I have a big school and I want to make sure that everyone feels connected to theme. The sessions have really helped me get closer to that goal.”

Evolving for new audiences
Denna Changizi, Davis HS, Davis, CA
April 15, 2016

“I felt the seminar given by R.J. Morgan was really interesting. I entered the room sort of last minute so I wasn’t really sure what to expect but it was really informative and I liked the way he interacted with everybody. I connected with how he was bringing up points of making big stories more local. I know my school paper likes to do stuff that the students like and a lot of that is just school spirit activities. We still have a good paper but it’s not as informative as it could be for other audiences.”

Desire for the nitty-gritty
Kennedy Gilbert, Kell HS, Marietta, GA
April 15, 2016

“This is my first NSPA hosted conference I have attended. The conference has been interesting so far. There is definately a focus on social issues, which is not something I expected. I have learned a lot from it though. I just wish that there was more a focus on the nitty-gritty aspect of journalism sometimes.”

Conference veteran
Ada Koivula, St. Louis Park HS, St. Louis, GA
April 15, 2016

“I’ve really enjoyed learning a lot at the NSPA conference. The speakers who have been here have been super interesting. Next year I will be a managing editor, so for me this is about learning how to better interact with people. I have attended an NSPA conference before, but this one is much larger than the one I went to before.”

Touching on social issues
Matt Castler, Boone HS, Orlando, Fl
April 15, 2016

“My first session was with two Pulitzer Prize winning journalists. While it was interesting, I definitely have to say that the session about localizing issues was more significant to me; especially when it started talking about gender, religion and LGBTQ relation issues. Often times people are so supportive of some topics, but they don’t necessarily understand the impact of these policies on their communities.”

Small-town scale
Mayra Campros, Raymore-Peculiar HS, Peculiar, MO
April 15, 2016

“This session was really interesting. The person speaking had a lot to say and it’s really interesting that he comes from Mississippi and can help us to think worldwide because it [Mississippi] is such a small place. Telling by how many people are here, a lot of people were also interested in what he had to say. I think the NSPA conference is such a cool thing and I never thought I would be here, especially with all my best friends. I went to a school with no journalism department, and then thankfully I transferred to Raymore-Peculiar where we have a great journalism department. I am really happy to be here and experience everything.”

Studying under various advisers
Katie Cologne, Granite Bay HS, Granite Bay, CA
April 15, 2016

“Although Karl Grubaugh is my teacher and a couple of the other students and I have heard some of his advice before, I still admire the way he doesn’t sugar-coat things and he’s very honest about it. I think this convention teaches a lot of the students and provides different perspectives instead of just listening to their one adviser.”

Bringing stories to the homefront
Austin Zhang, Torrey Pines HS, San Diego, CA
April 15, 2016

“I thought the seminar with R.J. Morgan I attended was a very interesting discussion on different perspectives and aspects to look at the news, especially on how to take broader issues and bring it toward the homefront. One of the biggest points he had was taking big opinion pieces and sending them out into your own community, making them more localized so that there’s a bigger interest and impact to your audience.”

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @_ChloeMueller and via email: Chloe Mueller.

For more about the Feather in Hollywood, read Hollywood offers opportunities, perspectives on community.

For more features, read Clovis Rodeo hosts PBR Pro Shane Proctor, April 21-24.

Follow @scholasticJWeek, @JeaDigitalMedia, @NSPA  and @nhsjc on Twitter to stay updated on the Spring Convention.