This article will be updated daily with information and stories from The Feather staff’s March 15-20 trip to New York City. For more information, read the March 11 article, Feather staff to attend CSPA conference.
Friday, March 19
The final day of the CSPA conference brought one last trek across Manhattan via the subway to 116th street and Columbia University for The Feather staff. They attended morning classes like photography and Stobbe’s second session, “Online Work Flow.”
After attending lessons and working on the newspaper, the staffers assembled outside Columbia for lunch. Several walked to a pizza place, famous from the day before, for its giant New York-sized pizza. Others ate at Tom’s, a diner of Seinfeld fame.
While finishing lunch, several staff members ran into fellow Crown finalists, Wayland Student Press Network editors David Ryan, a co-editor-in-chief, and Andrew Herstine, a sports editor. The editors of both publications were able to discuss issues and triumphs in their field.
Finally, the staff returned to Alfred Lerner Hall for the awards ceremony. The CSPA Crown winners were listed in alphabetical order, including print newspapers, yearbooks, magazines and online newspapers.
After waiting anxiously during the A through Ts (and bemoaning the fact that the paper was not listed in the ‘F’s), The Feather was announced as a Gold Crown winner.
Editor-in-chief Suzanna Quring, senior editor Austin Ward and Webmaster David Casuga went up to the stage to accept the award. Afterward, the staff posed for photos in front of the Columbia’s Low Library with their plaque.
They then departed from the campus, and headed for The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where they witnessed everything from French Impressionist paintings to Roman sculptures to Egyptian mummies.
Afterward, they traveled to Planet Hollywood in Times Square for a celebration dinner, including dancing and toasting to success.
“I’m excited for the staffers because they know not to remain content with what they have done but to continue pursuing excellence,” Stobbe said. “We need to focus on what we can do to make the paper better. After this convention, people know what they need to do next; they just have to drive themselves to do it.”
On Saturday morning March 20, several students grasped their last opportunity for shopping, while Stobbe took others to tour Carnegie Hall, and Gray’s Papayas, a New York hot dog institution.
At last they returned to the airport, and traveled home.
The Feather remains in competition for the National Scholastic Press Association Online Pacemaker award, which is similar to the Crown, although more long-standing. Several staff members will travel to Portland, OR, on April 15, to attend a similar conference, and discover if they will be awarded a Pacemaker or only a nomination.
For more information, e-mail Stobbe or read the March 19 article, The Feather earns Gold Crown.
Thursday, March 18
On the second day of the Columbia conference, The Feather staffers continued to expand their journalistic horizons. They attended classes ranging from column writing to the future of Web journalism taught by advisers, editors and journalism professionals from across the country.
Webmaster David Casuga participated in a session led by peer newspaper, The Paly Voice from Palo Alto High School, discussing crowdsourcing and new technology.
“I think they talked about a lot of great new features,” Casuga said. “The Wayland Student Press Network [of Wayland High School] talked about using debates to gather opinions from lots of different people. That was really inspirational.”
After the conference, a trip to Central Park was outvoted, and the group returned to the hotel.
However, four students, along with Stobbe, made a trek to a tradition of New-York-trip lore: White Castle burgers.
Sophomores Raine Hayes and Gigi Thao made their mark on the annals of Feather history by participating in a 10-burger spectacular, gobbling double digits of the mini sliders, immortalized in other years.
After recovering, the champions and their classmates walked to the theater district for their second play, Billy Elliot. It was voted the favorite over Phantom of the Opera. An upcoming review will detail both plays.
Despite the long day, many students stayed up until the wee hours of the night, anticipating the awards ceremony where they would discover their fate as Silver or Gold Crown winners.
Wednesday, March 17
After two days of sight-seeing and exploring, The Feather staff settled down to the real purpose of their trip to New York: a journalism conference at Columbia University sponsored by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.
The group made a long subway trip to Broadway and 116th street, where they signed in and were given name tags complete with “crown finalist” ribbons for their first-semester efforts on the paper.
They then attended sessions taught by advisers, professional journalists and other experts. Classes included “Why Nobody Reads Your Paper”, taught by New York Times alumnus Robert Greenman, as well as “The Music of Writing,” by author Michael Lydon.
“I’m finding the sessions to be a great experience,” staff writer Mary Hierholzer, ’12, said. “We get firsthand lessons from renowned writers, like Robert Greenman.
“I just attended a session where I was able to discuss newspapers with other high school papers from around America. I enjoyed meeting fellow journalists, hearing about their papers and sharing advice. There is really so much to do here at Columbia!”
The Feather also had a chance to make an impression on the conference, with adviser Greg Stobbe giving a session on “Reporting Online,” detailing ways to adapt journalistic prinicples to an online medium.
Editor-in-chief Suzanna Quiring and senior editor Austin Ward also took the lead in a class, teaching “Surviving and Thriving in Cyber Space.” The session discussed The Feather’s methods for taking advantage of its online publication.
After a full day of classes, the group walked three blocks to the church of Saint John the Divine, the largest church, based on square footage, in the world. A guide led them on a vertical tour of the building, climbing a narrow staircase to the flying buttresses, bishop’s walks and beyond.
The night was used as homework session for some, while others made a trip to the famous Stage Deli for New York delicacies.
Tuesday, March 16
On the second morning of the trip, The Feather staff awoke to a swift morning of pedestrian sight-seeing. The excursion, led by adviser Greg Stobbe, featured trips to the New York Public Library, Grand Central Station and Times Square.
Afterward, the staff traversed Manhattan to Radio City Music Hall, where they learned the entertainment history of New York, including the art and architecture of the original 1932 building, and the famous Rockettes.
The group then divided, with parties visiting Rockefeller Center, NBC studios for a tour, and more shops. Stobbe’s smaller group visited Little Italy, eating in an established Italian restaurant called Il Palazzo.
The day culminated with a trip to Broadway for a production of “Phantom of the Opera.”
“The musical was incredible to watch because I’ve never been to any show of any kind before,” staffer Dana King, ’12, said. “What really captured my attention was the live orchestra pit, but I was also entranced by the cast’s voices. These plays are special because they’re live and performed by professionals.”
After a pilgrimage to Junior’s, a New York cheesecake hotspot, the staff and friends retired in preparation for their CSPA conference.
Monday, March 15
After enduring a delayed red-eye flight from San Jose, 30 Feather staff members, parents and yearbook staffers arrived in New York City.
Due to the weather delay, the ferry to Ellis Island left without the group. They then took the subway to the financial district, visiting Battery Park, Wall Street, Trinity Church and the New York Stock Exchange.
Adviser Greg Stobbe explained several landmarks to the group, including monuments in the park and the location of George Washington’s inauguration.
“Seeing the financial district was an important part of the trip because so much history has originated there,” senior editor Austin Ward said. “The state of that area sort of determines the state of the world.”
After touring, the party visited the top of the Empire State Building, braving the windy heights to see the far reaches of the city.
Students then split into groups, exploring the trendy shops and eateries in Soho or retiring to the hotel.
The Feather: New York 2010 from David Casuga on Vimeo.
For more information, e-mail Stobbe.
Trevor York • Feb 21, 2011 at 12:02 am
David looked like a little Frank Sinatra on the night of the concert! I am proud.