When journalism adviser Adrianna Chavira first told my class about the National High School Journalism Convention (NHSJC), I was unsure if I wanted to go. I had never traveled out of state without a family member and this year’s convention was set to take place in Philadelphia. However, seeing how excited my friends and staff writers Andrew Pulido and Jasmine Thompson were about the trip and hearing Online Editor-in-Chief Jenny Marquez’s experience from last year’s convention in Boston convinced me to attend.
On the eve of Nov. 6, I couldn’t even sleep from the excitement of what was to come.
The clock hit 4 a.m as we walked onto a jammed bus in the pitch-black breezy night. The clock struck 6:30 a.m as we boarded our American Airlines flight at LAX. Once our plane landed, we walked into the cold weather to the Sonesta Philadelphia Rittenhouse Square Hotel, where 15 students from Daniel Pearl Magnet High School’s (DPMHS) Student Media would be staying for the next four days for NHSJC.
The convention, which drew more than 3,600 students and advisers from across the country to the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, is organized by the Journalism Education Association (JEA) and the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA).
Thursday was pre-convention workshops. Four in our group attended an all-day digital photography workshop where they got a chance to go and take photos around the city. Another group of students went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where the Rocky statue is, while three others and I visited the Betsy Ross House in the morning before our 1 p.m. podcast workshop.
Four of us attended a pre-convention workshop titled “Audio Journalism — Podcasting 101,” which was taught by Kristin Taylor, the journalism adviser at Archer School For Girls in Los Angeles. In this workshop, we listened to different types of podcasts such as NPR’s “Pop Culture Happy Hour” and Outside/In’s “The Night Owls” to write down tips based on what made each podcast special. During the last hour of our session, we had the opportunity to create our own podcast by interviewing students around the Marriott about their experiences at the convention.
At the end of the day, we reunited with the others, went to a restaurant called “Pho 20” and attended the convention’s opening ceremony. The keynote speaker during the opening ceremony was Matthew Henderson, a film director known for directing “A King Like Me” and “The Silent Witness.” He spoke about his experiences documenting people for “Life Stories,” a national nonprofit that focuses on showcasing people’s stories through interviews.
“As filmmakers, documenters and storytellers, sometimes we will get it wrong and I think that’s extremely important to remember,” Henderson said during the ceremony. “Everyone has a story to tell and the more we take the time to listen and understand someone, I think it helps us as humans to create a more equitable society.”
On Nov. 8, we each attended sessions dedicated to different topics related to journalism. I attended sessions such as “Serving people with disabilities – in your stories, on your staff” and “Data wizardry for diversity.” These were Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) sessions which gave you a specialized certificate if you attended four of the 20 sessions that were offered. Five students in our staff and I received this certificate. In these sessions, I learned how to have more accurate and diverse representation in my stories, whether that’s by including more types of people or by looking at analytics. After the sessions were over for the day, 11 of our students went to competitions in different categories, while three other students and I went back to the hotel with history teacher Brenda Helfing, who chaperoned the trip.
“I felt pretty nervous since even though J-Day was a head start, the Philadelphia competition was more high pressure,” said Prestige Yearbook Editor Isabella Tolosa who competed in Yearbook Copy/Captions: Clubs. “I felt like I tried, even if I didn’t do as good.”
The next day on Nov. 9, we continued attending sessions. I went to sessions such as “Queer quotes: How to tell queer stories” and “#MoreLatinosInNews.” In the first session, Horse Creek Academy’s journalism adviser A.J. Chambers talked about how people in his home state South Carolina discriminated against the Pride Club he advises. The second session was run by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), with DPMHS journalism adviser Adriana Chavira and National Academic At Large Officer PJ Cabrera. I learned about the importance of having more Latinos in the journalism field, especially as a Latina journalist in the making myself. I am especially grateful for attending NAHJ’s session since I won a free one-year NAHJ student membership from the raffle they had at the convention.
The NSPA awards ceremony happened at the end of that day, where The Pearl Post was named 3rd place in Best of Show for Newsmagazine for schools under 1,800 students. Alumna Maggie Simonyan, Digital Media Editor-In-Chief Andre Arcilla and Managing Editor Alexa Garay received an honorable mention in Multimedia News Story, “Traffic congestion raises safety concerns for school community” and Digital Story of the Year. After the ceremony was over, we went to have a celebratory dinner at P.J. Clarke’s, one of the oldest restaurant chains in the U.S. that was founded in 1884. We then visited Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.
It was 8:30 a.m. as the JEA awards closing ceremony began on Nov. 10. The awards given out were for competitions held on Nov. 7. Staff writer Jasmine Thompson received Honorable Mention in Literary Magazine: Poetry and staff writer Linus Bossardt received Honorable Mention in Review Writing. Yearbook Editor-in-Chief Jasmine McNair received Honorable Mention in Yearbook Copy/Captions: Student Life and yearbook editor Emma Rosenberg won Excellent in Yearbook Copy/Captions: Sports. Right after the ceremony was over, we ran to the hotel to get our luggage to catch a train to the airport. It was time for me to get back into The Pearl Post state of mind but this time with added journalistic knowledge.
After a full week back after the convention, I can see how it has impacted the relationships everyone on staff has with each other. The convention was an amazing experience, filled with both learning and bonding opportunities. I learned tips from each session on how to improve my articles and made unforgettable memories with my fellow staff members.
