By Hannah Han ’21
Middle and upper school journalists flew to Dallas to attend the National High School Journalism Convention, a conference funded by the Journalism Education Association (JEA) and the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA). About 4,800 students and advisers from 44 of the 50 states stayed at the Hyatt Regency from Nov. 16 to Nov. 19 to attend courses about design, leadership, writing, editing and photojournalism.
“I really like how there was a variety of classes and that you can learn about what you’re interested in. I really liked the one about writing feature stories,” Chronicle writer Sarah Healy ’20 said.
Classes took place from 8 a.m. to 3:20 p.m., and journalists chose which courses they wanted to attend. During their free time, students had the opportunity to travel throughout Dallas in small groups.
“I love the freedom we got to have because it gave us an education and a relaxing vacation at the same time,” Spectrum Sports Editor Eugean Choi ’21 said.
Yearbook, Chronicle and Spectrum advisers also attended the trip and participated in journalistic sessions during the day. Outside of class, they planned activities for students to take part in, including a tour of the AT&T Stadium and a Dallas Mavericks game.
Students said that the experience was worthwhile and that they discovered many new journalistic techniques.
“Even though I went [to last year’s convention in] Indianapolis, I learned a lot of new things that I could incorporate into my writing in the future, and also I get to spend time with my friends. It’s really fun,” Choi said.