From November 17-20, the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) will hold the National High School Journalism Convention at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
The convention is scheduled to host more than 200 seminars, tours, contests, exhibits and prominent keynote speakers. Orono High School students involved in Journalism II and Yearbook classes were invited to attend this prestigious event.
OHS yearbook adviser Sarah Cole explained that the purpose of the convention is “to provide student journalists with presentations from experts in journalism.” This will be the first national convention Cole has attended and she is eagerly anticipating the chance to network with other yearbook advisers and learn how they run their staffs.
Spartan Speaks Newspaper adviser Kyle Ann Herring said she hopes that her staff will get the chance “to learn and apply new technologies and different ways of disseminating the news to our students and community.”
The newspaper staff attended a Journalism Education Association convention at the University of Minnesota last year, and after experiencing all of the breakout sessions and lectures, Herring revamped the entire newspaper program at OHS.
The Spartan Speaks now offers news on their Website, spartanspeaks.com, and via Twitter (spartan_speaks), as well as distributing paper copies.
Editor-in-chief of the Spartan Annual Jennifer Gardner stated that she is “looking forward to learning new tricks we can use in the yearbook.” Gardner plans on majoring in mass communications, marketing, or advertising in college and believes that being a part of yearbook directly influenced her to choose these fields.
The chance to attend this event is one that she and other yearbook students will benefit greatly from. “It energizes students and motivates them to do their best work and prioritize yearbook and newspaper,” Cole said.
Interacting with journalism professionals in a corporate setting is one that Cole hopes “will help students realize what an important job they have.”
The convention will feature keynote speakers Duchesne Drew, the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s managing editor for operations, Vadim Lavrusik, the Journalist Program manager at Facebook, and Emmy Award-winning writer and critic Rohan Preston.
Many other prominent career journalists will also be speaking and teaching sessions.
Session topics range from digital media to issue and leadership seminars and photography workshops. Cole and Herring both have specific sessions they are looking forward to based on their publication needs.
Orono students involved in the two publications will learn from experts and their peers from around the country, and use that knowledge to update and improve their publications.
“I am excited for the students to continue learning,” Herring said. “They will gain invaluable knowledge at the conference that they will use throughout their careers and lives. It will be a great experience.”
Andrea Conover is Copy Chief for The Spartan Speaks