Starting the day with a 6:50 a.m. train ride out of the Fresno Amtrak Depot (FNO), fourteen Feather journalists, along with their adviser, Greg Stobbe, traveled to San Francisco to attend one of the most prestigious conventions on the West Coast, April 24.

This year the group will attend the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA)/Journalism Education Association (JEA) National High School Journalism Convention held at the Marriot Marquis Hotel, April 24-27. The conference will consist of various educators and students that will be teaching classes, including The Feather’s own Editor-in-Chief Tynin Fries, ’14, Features Editor Viviana Hinojosa, ’14, Senior Editor Maddie Yee, ’13, and Multimedia Anchor Callista Fries, ’15, who will be presenting on how to improve online newspapers. Feather classes will be at 8 a.m. and noon on April 27.

At the NSPA conference the students will work vigorously and await anxiously to hear the news of the Online Pacemaker Awards, which they were nominated for on March 12.

Starting the day off early, the group arrived in downtown San Francisco around noon. Walking into the Marriot, high school journalists from all around the nation huddled together trying to make way for those just entering the premises. With the hotel only having two rooms available, the group stored their luggage and briefly refreshed themselves before heading off towards the San Francisco Westfield Mall on 865 Market St.

Hungry, the fourteen students dispersed themselves throughout the mall eating lunch and shopping. The mall consisted of high end retail, expensive restaurants and odd shops the students explored until 3 p.m.

After a therapeutic shopping spree the group walked back to the hotel to relax, change clothes and get ready for dinner. Agreed ahead of time, the group met in the lobby and walked around the corner to Super Duper Burgers, where everyone enjoyed the hamburgers as well as the time spent bonding with one another.

Students are required to attend a minimum of three classes a day at the conference from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m in the hopes of expanding their journalism knowledge.

For more news, read the April 23 article, FCC proposes ban on media censorship.