On April 25-27, in Anaheim, California, the National High School Journalism Convention took place. Nine students from Bear River attended, and many of them earned honors in different categories. The convention was an opportunity for those who attended to explore more about their interests in various social media outlets as well as printed publications, such as yearbooks and literary magazines. It was also a change to participate in competitions with other student journalists, centered on specific categories of writing, video editing, photography, and yearbook design.
The National Convention takes place every spring and fall and the staff is planning to attend the 2020 Spring National Convention in Nashville, Tennessee.
Junior Zachery Fink, the Photography Editor for The Current, was able to explain what this year’s convention was all about.
“The Journalism Convention was more or less an opportunity for high school students to learn about different techniques and to better themselves in their journalism paths or careers and their capabilities,” he explained.
Mrs. Levinson, who was the supervisor of the field trip to the conventions, explained how this event is beneficial to the attendees.
“I like taking Bear River students to the National Convention, because they realize just how great our program is,” she said. “It’s easy to forget that other American teenagers are running their own news organizations and having the same struggles. This event really showcases what an awesome product we create, both on the journalism side and the yearbook side. The Current staff is super competitive with the best in the nation.”
With the end of a successful year, The Current is looking forward and planning for the next convention, which will be held in Nashville, Tennessee. Junior Sonora Slater, the Executive Editor for The Current, stated how she thought the convention might differ next year.
“This trip will be different from the last convention mainly in that it’s farther away, since it’ll be in Tennessee,” she said. “It’ll be a long haul to get there, but, other than that, I think the structure of the convention itself will remain more or less the same.”
Going to the convention can have some beneficial effects in the long run as well. Junior Karissa Johnson from yearbook was able to explain those benefits.
“The convention definitely helps me in the long run,” she said. “I plan on being a graphic designer or something similar to that, so all of the sessions I go to is about design trends, how to be a better leader, and how to make the yearbook look better. As the incoming editor in chief of the yearbook, all of the design and leadership sessions help me get a better idea of what the book will look like, and how the class will be better next year.”
The National High School Journalism Convention is a big deal to student journalists. Even if journalism isn’t the career one sticks with, this convention is meant to be a stepping stone to better one’s journalism skills.
Christina Levinson summarized this perfectly when asked about her career.
“The National Journalism Convention is the perfect opportunity for students to decide if a career in journalism matches their personality,” she said. “Journalists are like a band of intellectual, high energy pirates with a serious sense of justice. It’s not a career for the timid.”
