The hustle and bustle of the Big Apple attracts thousands of tourists per year. This year, journalism students will trek cross-country to New York City and become a part of the excitement in the metropolis.

Adviser Greg Stobbe led the publications classes on a similar trip two years ago. Students this year will be attending the Columbia Scholastic Press Association?s 83rd annual convention, held at Columbia University on March 14-16.

?I?m going to New York because I know I?ll have a good time,? Taylor Torrence, ?08, said. ?It?s going to be quite a culture shock.?

This trip offers an opportunity for students to partake in the vast amount of activities that ‘the city that never sleeps’ offers, but the conference also allows aspiring journalists a chance to learn from people who have made it big in the field.

?I?m excited for New York because I want to hear what people have to say about being a better writer, and learning different writing techniques,? Kristina Palmer, ?09, said. ?I?m also going because I have always wanted to see the Empire State Building and Ground Zero.?

There are also those who have taken the trip already, and will be going again.

?I thought the conferences were really helpful,? Jennifer Rose, ?08, said. ?They showed me that the way Stobbe was teaching me to write was the way that they wanted me to write.?

Stobbe has led four previous trips to New York, and spoke at the CSPA conference last year.

“While classroom learning is important, I have had the privilege to take students to seminars and workshops both in state and across the country,” Stobbe said. “Whenever the staff has joined me in New York, their abilities are heightened; they believe in the writing process a little bit more and are re-energized. Of course, hanging out together in Manhattan doesn’t hurt either.”

Aside from being a part of the CSPA conference, journalism students will be visiting sights such as Radio City Music Hall, the Metropolitan Museum and Central Park. They will also be attending several Broadway shows, visiting Times Square and shopping at various stores in the Manhattan area.

Nearly 70 students, parents and teachers will travel with Stobbe to New York, including 19 publications staff members. The group will fly out of San Jose on March 11 and will return to campus on March 17.