Four Feather editors and adviser Kori James conquer a coast-to-coast journey, traveling approximately 3,000 miles to attend the CSPA Centennial Spring Conference held at Columbia University in New York City, New York.
Day One
Touching down in one of the grandest cities in the world, the girls had their priorities straight with their first stop post-flight at Joe’s Pizza. Countless customers have dubbed the beloved pizzeria “the quintessential New York City slice.”
The post-flight grub fueled the team as they returned to the hotel and diligently prepared for the following day’s ventures. The time change was a struggle in itself. However, the girls rose bright and early to get a head start, navigating their way through the intricate subway system and arriving at the esteemed Columbia University just in time for the 9 a.m. check-in.
Upon arrival, the girls received their Feather lanyards with special teaching name tags. The first speaker to take the stage was the keynote speaker and vice president of Google News, Richard Gingras. He has worked for billion-dollar companies, giving him big-name titles like Entrepreneur, American Internet executive, and Innovator. He was well-versed in the connection between news and online presence.
“In the world of media, trust has to be constantly re-earned,” Gingras said. “We cannot express broad-based trust. It is a social construct first and foremost.”
It can be difficult for journalists to translate thoughts from mind to paper or digital print, but the way writers construct sentences and create captions, headings and titles is important for engaging the reader and pushing them to read more.
The second session the editors attended was taught by Jacob Palenske, an adviser from Virginia. Palenske spoke about how today’s generation uses vocabulary to convey meaning and the need for improvement in their overuse of words such as “um” and “like.” Palenske emphasized the importance of journalists verbalizing their opinions to persuade others to see their point of view and understand the story.
“When you choose to express your opinions verbally, you can lessen the impact of what you’re saying,” Palenske said. “To work on that, you have to speak in a persuasive way that will influence others.”
Feather adviser Kori James and senior photo/video editor Mallory Friesen contributed to the conference with a session called “Enhance with the ‘Gram.” To open their session, James asked a few questions to help connect with the audience and better understand their role in the use of digital media, whether for online and print newspapers or yearbooks.
“Enhance with the ‘Gram” was a session focused on teaching students how to use social media to their advantage. Friesen and James offered helpful tips on utilizing Instagram posts and stories to promote articles, convey helpful information, showcase student and athlete achievement and remind students about school and sporting events. They also highlighted the significance of curating an eye-catching Instagram grid and promoting your team on different apps so viewers don’t see the same photo, video or article across multiple platforms.
James and Delaney Meyers taught The Feather’s second conference session entitled “Canva to the Rescue.” Canva is a commonly used tool for many journalism and yearbook teams across the country. Canva can be used for creating infographics, posts on Instagram or even quick schedule change reminders for school or sporting events.
Meyers and James displayed multiple examples of infographics created through Canva. Meyers discussed the program’s user-friendly tools and how she overcame the intimidation of being new to the creative process, gaining confidence in her ideas. James spoke on the cruciality of an infographic’s theme being relevant to the purpose of the article. She drew attention to the need for simplicity in infographics, ensuring that your reader can quickly dissect the key information.
Following their busy work day, they decided to venture out into the big city. Continuing a tradition begun by previous Feather adviser Greg Stobbe, the girls took a stroll to Milano Market. Newly energized, the team ventured to their next stop, The Rockefeller Plaza.
The group worked their way up the 70-story building, taking both stairs and elevators until they made it to the top. Looking through the glass panels, they were in awe of the city surrounding them. With a few quick snaps of a camera, the girls captured lasting memories and inside jokes.
After descending from The Rockefeller Plaza, the team made their way to Times Square. Strolling through the hustle and bustle, the girls got the real New York experience. The people on the street were singing, dancing, and taking pictures. Everywhere they looked, they saw something extravagant that could only be seen in the big city. With a chill in the air, the girls settled in over a piping hot bowl of ramen before ending their night.
Day Two:
Day two began with Editor-in-Chief Danielle Arndt and Adviser Kori James teaching a session on “Compelling Feature Writing.” The session covered the foundational building blocks of a great feature, using Feather students’ past articles as examples. From the importance of a well-written lead to selecting a specific angle, James and Arndt covered all the tools they have in their feature writing tool belts. They ended the session by shaking hands with students who participated in their session and answering any questions the students had. Arndt took a powerful lead during this session, offering her three years of experience on The Feather in hopes of helping out a fellow journalist.
“Teaching the session was a remarkable opportunity; not only was I able to offer the skills I’ve acquired during my time on The Feather, but I too learned from the students attending,” said Arndt. “I discovered that the type of writing we are schooled in is applicable for so many different uses, all of which empower young voices. Despite how it may feel, people (not just locally but nationwide) care about what The Feather does and strive to create programs like ours. I am reminded just how special my team is.”
After the feature writing session, Feather Adviser Kori James moderated a CSPA forum, “Tuning in to Teen Media Habits,” alongside Pew Research senior researcher Colleen McClain and Reuters social media Editor-in-Charge, Kathryn Lurie.
Research confirms that the majority of teens are constantly on devices and receive their information through social media, so how can publications get their message across? The forum highlighted concerns over student engagement, disinformation, journalistic principles, and social media tools. James spoke about the pressure to follow influencer trends versus building reliability as a valuable informer on campus.
“Many teams struggle with engagement when it comes to using social media platforms for their publications. There is a big difference between building engagement as an influencer or as an informer,” James said. “When you are consistent, accurate, and reliable, your audience will engage, and as an informer, you become the best kind of influencer.”
With their teaching portions of the conference complete, the team treated themselves to a family-style Italian dinner. The dinner consisted of Caesar salad, alfredo tortellini, bread and butter, parmesan chicken, and meat sauce pasta. The girls then maneuvered their way through the city streets to arrive at their 8:00 pm Broadway show, The Great Gatsby.
The Great Gatsby was everything and more than what the team expected. The actors and actresses were extremely talented and versatile in singing, dancing, and acting. Though the girls were exhausted, they were too entranced with the play to fall asleep. The costumes were flamboyant and exciting, catching the audience’s attention with every twirl. Each scene’s setting was original and pulled you right into the story. The girls deemed the play a must-see show. Meyers has read the book and watched the movie, giving her a better understanding of the play. She was amazed by the quality of the production and felt that the cast did the book justice.
“As somebody who has both read the book and watched the movie, I was in awe of the play interpretation. I felt that the casting was done so well that I could fall into the familiar story and truly appreciate it,” said Meyers. “There were some plot points that had been switched around, but overall, they nailed the execution. Never has a play made me laugh so much; it was obvious that each actor loved the part they were playing.”
Running through the streets with umbrellas in their hands and rain soaking their shoes and clothes, the girls were ready to get some rest for their final day at Columbia.
Day Three:
The last day of the 101st CSPA Conference held more sessions as well as the award show. One session the editors attended was about the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in journalism. The session leaders went around the classroom with mics, asking the students questions about their experiences with AI.
The second session the editors participated in was called “Law in Journalism.” Law in journalism was an interview between CSPA director Jennifer Ha and lawyer Lisa Rubin. The two talked about our government, the supreme court and domestic violence. Students were presented the opportunity to ask Rubin a few questions at the end.
After finishing their morning and afternoon sessions, the girls’ nerves started to kick in. Everything they had published in the previous spring season and most recent fall season would be judged and awarded with either a silver or gold crown.
The award show had started, and the team was waiting eagerly for the announcer to say “The Feather from Fresno Christian Schools.” The girls anxiously gripped the edges of their seats while the announcer proclaimed, “The Feather… gold crown winners!” Hearing “gold crown” was the most exhilarating moment the team could have hopped for. It’s easy to feel like their work is overlooked or not appreciated, but the gold crown proved the opposite. From staying up late and spending weeks on complex articles to sitting with others to edit and package their articles, the dedication and determination had paid off.
This year, the team had the opportunity to bring Katie Reneau, the Fresno Christian Director of Curriculum and Instruction, with them to NYC. Reneau had never been to NYC, so the team decided to be her personal tour guides. With a combination of fun and work, Reneau got to see The Feather staff in action.
“Overall, I was blown away. Our editors represented our school and themselves so well. They were prepared and confident in their sessions, drawing their audiences in,” Reneau said. “Students and advisors from all over the United States stood in lines for the chance to speak to them. In those conversations, I heard our Feather staff encourage and validate the work being done on other campuses. They exuded joy! It was evident that the Feather is a cornerstone in the journalism community.”
Ending the three days at Columbia, the girls went to Juliana’s Italian in Brooklyn, New York. After their celebratory dinner, the team decided to take a ferry across the Hudson River to see the city lights from the water. From here, they could see the hustle and bustle from a different, more peaceful perspective.
The team’s final night in the big city was filled with laughter and reflection on all the fun memories they made together. Gathering up their things, which now included a gold crown award, the editors headed home to celebrate with the rest of their team. The ‘24-’25 school year has consisted of a constant grind to grab content and build upon The Feather’s legacy of knitting together the community through the recognition of the people it is comprised of.
Video filmed and edited by: Mallory Friesen
To read more from The Feather, visit AP European students prepare for a once-inn-a-lifetime adventure or Opinion: The DEI debate.
