The Feather staff landed in New York City’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport around 5 a.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST), March 17. The staff is made up of twenty students, The Feather’s Adviser, Greg Stobbe, and chaperone Angie Fries.
With the group arriving early Mon. morning, they will be touring the city for half the week before partaking in the 90th annual Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) Spring Convention, March 19-21. Editor-in-Chief Tynin Fries, Senior Editor Viviana Hinojosa, ’14, and Multimedia Anchor Callista Fries will be presenting workshops on how to run an online newspaper as well as giving tips on podcasting.
The staff will also attend other high school run newspaper classes at Columbia University. At the end of the week, the staff will attend the 2013 Online Crown Awards ceremony, in which they will receive either a Silver or Gold Crown.
Most students had sleepy eyes when they arrived in New York so early in the morning, but still embarked on a busy day in the city. After dropping off bags at Hotel Edison NYC, the group visited several main attractions.
First, they took a trip on a ferry from Battery Park to Ellis Island, passing the Statue of Liberty on their way. On Ellis Island students had the opportunity to do everything from watch a movie about the island to look through historical artifacts and documents.
From Battery Park, the staff walked down to Wall Street, ate lunch and then made their way over to Ground Zero. There, the students got to admire the enormous 9/11 memorial.
Finally, the staff wrapped up their sight-seeing with a view from the top of the Empire State Building. Afterwards, they headed back to their hotel around 6 o’clock and freshened up for dinner at Ellen’s Stardust Diner. Proceeding dinner, the group went back to the hotel to rest up for tomorrow’s day of touring.
Check back for a daily account of the staff’s activities during the trip.
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For more information, read the Jan. 7 article, BREAKING: CSPA releases Feather critique, Gold Medalist .
For more news, read the March 11 article, BREAKING: NSPA honors finalists, Feather absent from list.
