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 24-26. 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.

At the NSPA conference the students plan to work vigorously for three days, awaiting 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 from the Marriott to Super Duper Burgers. The hamburgers were freshly made to order, homemade pickles were free and the time spent bonding with one another…priceless.

The Feather staff is in San Francisco until Sunday, April 28. They will reverse the order of travel, picking up the Amtrak bus a couple of blocks away at the Moscone Center. They will return to Emeryville and board the train late afternoon. The group will arrive in Fresno later that evening.