By Elizabeth Sims, BubbleLife Intern
The city of San Antonio, Texas, is commonly remembered for its famous historic sites, such as the Alamo and the Riverwalk. However, it was not the appeal of these famous sites that drew hundreds of high school journalism students from across the nation to the city. These students had gathered to attend the JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention.
On Nov. 15, eight journalism students from Coppell High School, along with The Sidekick newspaper adviser Chase Wofford and the Round-Up yearbook adviser SallyAnne Buckley, traveled five hours to San Antonio to take part in the convention. After arriving in the city and checking into the historic Menger Hotel, the group made its way to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center where its convention experience was set to begin.
Over the next three days, the convention provided these students with countless opportunities to learn how they could become better journalists and enhance their publications. They attended sessions of their choosing that taught them everything from utilizing social media within their publication to improving their writing and photography. Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Rodolfo Gonzalez and Fort Worth Star-Telegram sports writer Charean Williams were brought in as guest speakers to give perspectives from people who work in the journalism field. With all of these opportunities at their disposal, every student on the trip was able to take away something different, which they could bring back and use in their publications.
“I learned how to become a better journalist overall and how to improve our publication in ways that I did not think we had any reach,” junior Mabry Culp said. “Out of everything, I learned how to write better and more concisely so it is something people want to read.”
The students were not the only ones who learned something during the trip. Wofford returned having gained new insight in educating high school journalists.
“I like hearing from other people who are as passionate about (journalism) as I am," Wofford said. "I learn a lot from the students who chime in and lead the sessions because it is good to get a perspective from the student side. I try to get that from my students here, but I like to get it from students from other schools to see what is working there and how we can use that here. When you go to those conventions you learn different ways of doing things, and I think it is good to roll the dice sometimes and try something new.”
Aside from the sessions and guest speakers, the convention was also a competition to see how every school’s publications stacked up against others from across the country. CHS submitted a copy of The Sidekick newspaper, its online publication Coppell Student Media, the 2011-12 edition of the Round-Up yearbook and a multimedia feature piece created by senior Joe Han and CHS graduate Brian Hwu to be judged.
Though The Sidekick, Coppell Student Media and the Round-Up did not receive an award, Hwu and Han’s multimedia feature placed second in the nation. With this win, Han walked away from the trip with his award and scholarship money from Walsworth, a family-owned publishing company that offered the scholarship, which would pay for the student’s registration fees to celebrate its 75th anniversary.
“It was awesome because I rarely get awards or win anything so it was really nice to get my video recognized,” Han said. “To be honest, I watched it a few days prior, and I was like ‘how did this get to the top five?’ So I always strive to be better, but it was still nice to be recognized.”
When the group was not attending sessions, they were able to explore San Antonio and its unique atmosphere, as well as develop relationships with each other and students from other schools. Han was impressed by the Menger Hotel’s history and the passion he witnessed from other students.
“First of all, the Menger Hotel was awesome and the history of the hotel was fascinating,” Han said. “Aside from that, I also got to meet a lot of kids from all over the country. I got to hear their stories and about how they are passionate about their yearbook or newspaper. I met a few freshmen, and it was nice to see kids being passionate about something.”
Culp was captivated by the uniqueness of the city and the life on the Riverwalk.
“The Riverwalk was one of the most memorable things," Culp said. "Just the beauty of San Antonio is something I will never forget. It was just a beautiful place to have a convention."
Aside from the city and its history, Wofford enjoyed watching his students bond and develop friendships, as well as seeing them write stories in a new environment.
“It is fun to just get out of the classroom and be with each other when you are not standing in front of a classroom," Wofford said. "You see bonding and gelling of personalities as kids come together and learn more about one another. I think the kids develop friendships there.
"It is just a change of scenery. I still have the kids write there instead of doing the write-off competitions because it is something authentic. You are blending learning with application. You are there to have fun but also to learn; we are not there just to chill on the Riverwalk.”
The group returned from the trip with countless stories, new friendships and knowledge to make them better journalists. With this newfound knowledge in hand, they shared it with their peers so they could improve their publications together and possibly take home a few awards from the spring convention in San Francisco, California.
To see Hwu and Han’s award-winning multimedia feature, click on the following link: http://vimeo.com/37814504