During the second day of the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA)/Journalism Education Association (JEA) National High School Journalism Convention at the Washington State Convention Center, four Feather staff members, along with adviser Greg Stobbe, presented four class sessions, in addition to receiving their fourth Online Pacemaker Award, April 14.
After an early morning pack-up and check out of their hotel, the delegates had breakfast and coffee at the convention center before setting up for their first presentation, Reporting Online, which took place at 8 a.m. With a brief introduction by Stobbe, senior Co-Editors-in-Chief Mary Hierholzer and Nick Avery lead the class with a powerpoint and Q&A. The attendants exceeded 70 people, ranging from staff writers, editors and advisors.
After a three-hour hiatus filled with homework, lunch and classes, the members’ second session was scheduled for noon. Avery and Hierholzer shared on the structure and handling of a staff in their class, “Online Workflow.” They showcased The Feather and the process each article goes through before publication.
Directly following, seniors Brooke Stobbe and David Casuga shared the first steps in podcasting during their 1 p.m. session, “Broadcast your voice: learn to Podcast.” After teaching the steps to a podcast from brainstorming to publication, the class concluded with a Q&A portion.
The last class, “Surviving in Cyberspace,” taught the importance of social media. Avery and Hierholzer shared their personal experiences and tricks with directing readers onto a website and tools used to track viewership.
Preceding the last session, the group adjourned to the Ballroom for the 2012 JEA/NSPA awards ceremony. After recognizing Pacemaker Finalists in every category, Online Pacemakers were the second to be announced.
For the fourth time, The Feather Online has been recognized by the NSPA as a top online high school newspaper in the country along with 14 other schools. Despite the lack of a finalist nomination last year, staffers were honored with a finalist and Pacemaker plaque for the 2011-12 school year.
“According to the NSPA website, “The 2012 NSPA Online Pacemaker contest, which recognizes high school publication websites, yielded a total of 159 entries. 31 sites were chosen as finalists out of the total by a team of three professionals assembled from across the country. Entries were judged holistically based on content, design, writing and editing, rich media and breaking news.”
Although the ceremony was not yet completed, the delegates left the convention and headed to the airport for their flight home. After dinner, they returned home late Saturday night as National winners. Later that evening The Feather Online also earned third place in the Online Best of Show.
Nearly 3,200 attendees representing over 600 schools from across North America participated in the conference, according to NSPA’s Marc Wood, communications/technology director.
The slideshow below contains photos that portray The Feather staff’s final day in Seattle.
For more information about the trip, read the April 13 article, Sojourn in Seattle: Day 2 (71 PHOTOS).
