Students compete in San Francisco
EDGE OF THE EARTH: Members of the newspaper staff climb to Marin Headlands for a view of the Golden Gate Bridge during the JEA national convention in San Francisco. The staffs brought home two staff awards together, with the newspaper winning five individual awards and the yearbook winning three.
July 4, 2018
Eyes locked on the screen at the front of the room, newspaper and yearbook students from schools across the nation eagerly hope to bring home awards.
On April 11-15, the Dispatch and the Lone Star staff got the opportunity to travel to San Francisco for the biannual Journalism Education Association/National Scholastic Press Association (JEA/NSPA) convention. Newspaper won Second Place Best in Show and yearbook won Sixth Place Best in Show, placing them among the best in the country.
“[Winning the award] was like this release of all this pent up energy, all of this hard work and giant weight being lifted from my back and shoulders,” newspaper editor-in-chief senior Violet Glenewinkel said. “Hours upon hours for weeks and weeks, even before the school year, we put in effort to transform these 30 year issue into something Bowie has never seen before. This was our holy grail, our finish line, as cheesy as it sounds, and we accomplished it with flying colors.”
Students also competed in individual competitions, with the publications winning eight individual awards ranging from honorable mention, excellent, and superior. Junior Maddy Rice won a superior in Yearbook Copy/Captions for Clubs, despite anticipating otherwise.
“I sprawled out on the floor next to [my friend] and had a mental breakdown and told her I was quitting journalism forever and that I couldn’t write for squat,” Rice said. “It lasted like 30 minutes and then I was on edge for the rest of the day.”
Competitions took place a day before awards, so that morning was filled with anxious anticipation.
“Honestly, I stopped listening after they called the honorable mentions and didn’t hear my name be- cause I was absolutely sure there was no way I could get anything above that,” Rice said. “I wish I could remember the moment when they called my name but it all happened so fast, my hands were shaking so much the entire walk up to get my medal and basically the rest of the awards ceremony. Getting superior had been a goal of mine since Ms. Dellana first brought us to convention my sophomore year, so it was so satisfying and surreal to have them put that medal around my neck.”
The national journalism conventions are a chance for students to collaborate with, compete against, and be inspired by the top journalism programs in the country
— Lindsey Shirack
Aside from competitions, sessions were also held to teach students journalism skills. Junior Jadon Alvarez had never been to a convention before and enjoyed sessions.
“I was surprised at how relaxed the convention was because the mentors at the convention treated you like young adults,” Alvarez said. “You got to pick which sessions you wanted to go that would help improve your journalism and editing skills, which are really useful to us newspaper and yearbook students.”
Students were given time outside of convention to explore the city.
“My favorite memory from the trip was definitely getting to hang out and tour Chinatown with people from both newspaper and yearbook because I definitely think that we all bonded,” Alvarez said. “In Chinatown, I’d have to say the best part was getting to eat authentic Chinese food, drink authentic boba tea, and getting to check out the cool merch they had to offer.”
According to Rice, the trip not only taught journalism skills, but also independence.
“The most I’ve learned about living on my own comes from those trips where I get to dictate what I buy and where I buy it,” Rice said. “If I didn’t go on these trips, I’d be thrown out into the real world which is filled with $50 shoes and overpriced grilled mac and cheese wonderpieces and go completely broke. After the first night where you spontaneously go to the Target across the street and buy your weight’s worth in snacks, you really get a sense of how to manage your money a little better and what that will be like when it’s one hundred per- cent your money you’re spending.”
The students were accompanied by newspaper advisor Michael Reeves and yearbook advisor Lindsey Shirack.
“The national journalism conventions are a chance for students to collaborate with, compete against, and be inspired by the top journalism programs in the country,” Shirack said. “Our students get to share their knowledge, as well as get fresh eyes to reinvigorate their publications.”
