The rain poured down on their umbrellas as delegates of The Feather staff arrived at Alfred Lerner Hall of Columbia University for the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s 87th annual Spring National Convention in New York, held March 16-18.

For the first day of the convention, adviser Greg Stobbe, editor-in-chief Austin Ward, ’11, Webmaster David Casuga, ’12, reviews editor Mary Hierholzer, ’12, and multimedia anchor Brooke Stobbe, ’12, donned lanyards with name tags and settled into the event.

According to CSPA staff, more than 3,000 high school newspaper and yearbook students registered for the convention.

Following registration, the group attended 45-minute sessions on digital media and journalism throughout the morning and afternoon. For lunch, the students enjoyed jumbo slices of pizza from Koronet Pizza in Morningside Heights, the neighborhood of Manhattan surrounding the university.

After attending one or two more sessions in the afternoon, Greg and the students left the convention to experience New York City.

The group ate at the Stage Deli, a 70-year-old landmark of New York, and then saw Catch Me If You Can, the Broadway musical based on the movie of the same name, at the Neil Simon Theatre. For more information, read Hierholzer’s March 23 review, ‘Catch Me If You Can’ stages Broadway brilliance.

The slideshow below contains 37 photos, all with captions, documenting the group’s first day at the convention. Check back tomorrow and the next day for similar reports on the delegates’ experiences.

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