The Convention
When I, along with four other writers, our paper’s advisor, Jessie Meadows, and yearbook teacher and communication staff member, Melissa Borinski, showed up bright and early at 5 a.m. to Hobby International Airport, we were tired, but ready to use our AP Style guidebooks. We were finally on our way to the Journalism Education Association/National Student Press Association High School Journalism Convention in Nashville.
The JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention occurs twice a year in different cities across the United States and offers high school journalists the opportunity to hear from professionals on topics ranging from investigative journalism to content creation. For the first time in 9825 history, The Emery/Weiner school had journalists in attendance.
This year, students from over 46 states and even some international schools attended, and the energy was palpable. From the moment we took our seats at the opening ceremony to our final session, the room was filled with students like me. Students that are passionate about yearbook, journalism, and how they could use their strengths to improve their publications. These students crowded the halls, chatting with new friends and showing off their work. I could tell what we would learn here would mark the start of a new chapter for Emery’s journalism program.
Breakout Sessions
Breakout sessions were the star of the show; we attended two full days of presentations and discussions. Rather than all being forced to stick to a strict schedule, we had the freedom to pick from hundreds of topics and set our own schedules. At the end of each day, we would all share what we learned and what we wanted to bring back to the paper.
One of my favorite sessions was “Digging deeper: How to conduct better profile interviews” with reporter Brad Schmitt. As a reporter who loves covering student life and features, I understand that interviews make the story. I loved learning that Schmitt, a writer for The Tennessean, takes hours to conduct interviews. Rather than going into an interview opportunity with a strict set of questions, Schmitt lets the interviewee guide the conversation. He reminded me that silence is okay and to write the hard things. “Naming the dog” is a strategy that I learned while attending this session – if the dog has a name, people remember it more. Essentially, details are important!
My co-editor-in-chief, Eliot Kelly-Leftwich, recalls one of her favorite sessions, an editor-in-chief roundtable.
“With my little blue ‘Editor-in-Chief’ ribbon dangling from my lanyard, I walk into a ballroom packed with other high school editor-in-chiefs. This is my 9 a.m. session, the Editor-in-Chief Roundtable. It was my favorite session from our jam-packed two days. Not because I learned the most — though I did learn a lot — or because I got to eat my yogurt parfait during it, but because it was led by students. Many of the sessions were hosted by professors or journalism professionals, but in that ballroom, it was peers teaching their peers. I learned from students who live like me, work like I do, and hold the exact same title that I do. Nothing feels as possible as it does when people just like you are telling you what they were able to achieve.” – EKL
Hearing from peers was extremely helpful and inspiring for all of us; however, we also learned from professionals. Reporter and junior Ben Litofsky appreciated hearing from experts about social media content creation.
“I had a great experience at the JEA National High School Journalism Convention. My favorite session that I went to was about how to expand your newspaper’s social media presence. It was my favorite because I learned about so many opportunities to expand engagement to The 9825 on social media, which is something that I’m interested in helping out with.” – BL
In addition to engaging advisor oriented sessions, there were so many different topics covered by presenters. From goofy Taylor Swift themed writing workshops to serious conversations about legality, there was something for everyone. While I was singing along, current junior and reporter Noah Chelius was learning about DEI.
“One session I went to was about DEI and why it is important to cover, even if it is unlawful. The session leader was very engaging with his presentation; he talked directly to the audience and took questions too. I learned many new things about DEI from the session, especially about how to cover it in states where DEI policies are under scrutiny. I definitely want to apply some of the skills and information he taught us to stories I write in the future.” – NC
Current junior and reporter Julian Farber enjoyed a session about sports journalism.
“My favorite session I attended was with Gregory Hampton Lee Jr., a renowned sports journalist, editor, and educator. Lee discussed how he navigated the extremely competitive sports journalism industry, giving an overview of what he did to begin his career and how he worked his way up to editing for corporations like The Athletic and NBA.com. My primary takeaway from his presentation was to work hard to expand your skillset, as being adaptable to different positions and fascist of journalism can significantly contribute to putting yourself over the top. He also included the importance of covering the local sports teams, whether that be high school, college, or professional, regardless of how much attention the team gets, as ultimately the best way to start your career.” – JF
Nashville
While I was hesitant about being trapped inside boring conference rooms all day, the hotel where we stayed was its own little world, and there was always something new to see. From 48 foot tall Christmas trees and thousands of lights, to an indoor river and fountain display, I never got bored.
Our time at the conference wasn’t totally spent in the hotel though. We wanted to get a taste of Nashville, so we toured the historic Ryman Auditorium, Hatch Show Print, and downtown scene. I thought it was especially interesting to tour Hatch Show Print and see the old printing presses that once spread news. It was an interesting reminder of how far we have come and how honored we should feel to create a news publication. This idea of transformation and building on what we have became the message that we took away from our time in Nashville. We are such a strong publication with many talents, and we can use this to our advantage.
“Attending the JEA Convention was incredibly impactful for the School’s three publications: The 9825 (journalism), Reflections (yearbook), and FINEprint (LitMag). There were so many sessions available for all three types, as well as the benefits of allowing Emery to connect with other schools’ publication teams from across the country. The critique sessions allowed fresh (veteran) eyes and insights on all three of our publications, and they will only get better the more we hear from others in our fields. One of the wonderful parts of working in education (and that includes student journalism) is that people are happy to share their successes, resources, and roadmaps with each other. In the Keynote, one of the speakers commented that the days of publications hiding their work for the sake of being competitive is largely over; news organizations are more motivated to partner with each other in order to benefit their readers and the community at large, and I see that in student journalism publications, too.” – Borinski
Reporting Live From Our Flash-Writing Contest
Nearing the end of our time at the conference, all of our writers had the opportunity to participate in a flash-writing contest.
“My feature writing contest was both the most exciting and nerve wracking thing I have ever done. I had no clue what to expect walking in and was only mildly comforted when it became clear to me that many of my peers in the room were also new to this conference and these experiences. My phone recording on the table and my hand quickly scribbling notes, we received a roughly 30 minute presentation from Alex Apple, a journalist, a former reality TV contestant, and the press secretary for the Nashville Mayor. After a brief Q&A, we had a little over an hour to compile a feature, which would be viewed as a rough draft, about Apple and his life. While it was not my most amazing work and my paper was covered in scratched out sentences, I managed a fairly decent rough draft. In the end, my biggest takeaway from the hectic experience was that nothing has to be perfect immediately. Sometimes, you have to trust your gut instinct, write to your heart’s content, and deal with the editing later. Let perfection come eventually, just focus on saying what needs to be said. After all, that’s the point of journalism.” – EKL
“The writing contest I attended was a review/flash writing contest where I got to watch a mini-concert given by a fiddle player and harmonica player. The musicians performed a couple different country, blues, and folk songs and the whole performance was spectacularly done. I had a ton of fun and got really good feedback on my piece and how to improve my journalism skills.” – NC
When the time came to announce the winners of the contest, Emery was so proud to walk away with four awards. Regardless of the outcome of the competitions, it was an interesting and valuable experience. While I had only written one editorial before, I was a little unprepared, I ended up loving the assignment and wanting to write more editorials in the future.
What We’re Taking With Us
Leaving Nashville behind, Eliot and I were thinking about how best we could leave the paper for future writers and readers using our individual strengths and leadership within the paper.
“My dream for The 9825 is for it to become a more integral part of student life, leaving an impact on our campus. I want students to read The 9825 because it is part of the Emery culture to do so. However, I know that begins at the source: with our staff and in the classroom. I want the paper to run as a well oiled-machine built on shared trust and dependence on each other, passion from those involved, and true dedication. To begin this process, I hope to begin implementing not only a stronger structure, but a more standardized structure for the inner working of The 9825. Then, that structure can be both utilized but also built on in years to come. It is with Sophia and I and our current staff that I hope to build a 9825 that can grow and expand beyond our wildest expectations, becoming a core part of our Emery community.” – EKL
“I am so grateful we were able to attend the conference! Both my students and I left Nashville feeling inspired. Professional journalists gave us invaluable firsthand advice, and we connected with students and advisors from journalism programs across the country. We received a newspaper critique which was especially helpful for goal setting and determining how exactly we want to grow our current program and dream big for the future. We aim to incorporate more forms of digital media on our website and print a quarterly newspaper magazine. Attending the conference with Sophia and Eliot, our EICs, felt like a full circle moment since they started taking journalism with me in 10th grade. They both care about making our current journalism program stronger not only for the current staff but also for students to come, which means the world! I feel incredibly lucky to advise the journalism class at Emery and hope to attend the conference with journalism students for years to come!” – Meadows
The atmosphere during the closing ceremony was still as energetic as the opening ceremonies; however, it was also more reflective. Students sat with their publication teams and seemed closer than before. I thought of everything I had learned and how inspired I was to strengthen the future of our paper.
As a senior and an active member of journalism since my sophomore year, I’m starting to feel sentimental and aware of my legacy at Emery. The conference helped me realize that we have so much talent within our team, and it is up to us to set the future journalists up for success. Our legacy is what we make it.
“Over the past three years at Emery, journalism has become something that has quickly defined my life. It is going to be hard to move on from The 9825, but the impact it has had on me will always remain. I hope the impact I leave on it will be just as large. Truly, The 9825 can only be as good as we make it. With dedication, love, and care, The 9825 will become something that defines my legacy and grows beyond my dreams. I hope those after Sophia and I will treat it with the care it deserves. Moving forward, I will forever be thankful for everything The 9825 has taught me.” – EKL
