By Anusha Mathur ’20

Journalism students from both campuses participated in the annual National Scholastic Press Association Fall Convention from Nov. 10-13 in Indianapolis. A total of 25 students attended classes at the convention hotel and found out the results for national contests. All four publications submitted in the Best of Show Division — The Chronicle, The Spectrum, Vox Populi and Chronicle Online — won awards.
“I think it was really impressive especially because it was our first issue, we have a whole new staff. It made me so happy to win on the national level,” Spectrum Online Editor Caitlin Chung ’20 said.
For many students this was the first time they had traveled to Indiana.
“It’s nice to go to a different part of the country. A lot of the kids had never been to Indianapolis or the midwest before. Convention aside it’s always great to travel,” English teacher and Spectrum adviser Steve Chae said.
For many students, the best part of attending the convention was travelling and spending three days together as a group in a place they had never been to before.
“I thought it was really fun to travel with my friends and with the Spectrum staff. I loved traveling and getting to see a new place. It was fun to experience Indianapolis,” Spectrum Managing Editor Valerie Velazquez ’20 said.
At the convention, students participated in classes ranging from photography and design to writing. Classes occurred hourly and were designed to help students further their journalism skills.
“I enjoyed the fact that I got to learn a lot more about journalism than I knew before. I learned about different types of design, writing and broadcasting, and now I am able to do a lot more in journalism in a lot of different areas than I was able to do before,” Spectrum Copy Editor Zoe Redlich ’20 said.
After classes, students had free time where they could relax in the hotel or explore Indianapolis. On Saturday night, everyone attending the convention watched a basketball game between the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics.
“I thought it was really fun to do something big as a staff and have fun together,” Velazquez said.
Chae said he feels that students who attended the convention learned a lot about journalism and strengthened team bonds.
“Obviously the biggest benefit is when students go to sessions. There are so many different classes offered by so many great experts in journalism. One of the best things [about the trip] is it gives students the opportunity to bond. […] My favorite thing is that now for the past two years, we’ve been having the middle school and the upper school [journalists] together. It allows students to get to know each other from both campuses [and] middle school students get to know the upper school adviser. It’s just a really great way to build community,” Chae said.