The Upper School Newspaper and Yearbook Staffs competed at the National High School Journalism Convention (NHSJC), sponsored by the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) and Journalism Education Association, from Nov. 13-16. An annual event, the convention took place in Nashville, Tenn. this year, where students experienced the vibrant culture along with learning skills to improve their publications in sessions. They also participated in group activities including line dancing, ice skating and touring Vanderbilt University’s media facilities.
“For me as an advisor, it was a lot of fun to see students from different areas and from different levels, establishing this camaraderie as they were working together on their competition[s], even when we had our downtime and we had a little fun exploring the area and engaging in team bonding activities,” Upper School Digital Mass Media Department Chair Monica Rodriguez said.
This year in particular, the group was mainly composed of less experienced students who had never been a part of a National Competition. While this brought more stress, their efforts were recognized with a total of ten students placing.
“It was a really good first experience, but it was also really stressful because I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into …We kind of went into it blindly, and I didn’t really know what to expect,” Senior and Social Media Editor Ella Rodriguez said. “I think we could have done better given different circumstances, but we tried our best with what we had, and I’m proud of that.”
For over a century, NSPA has been a staple for the education of high school journalists. It helps student publications set goals and find ways to improve while also setting a national standard. It serves as a source of connection, with over 1,350 students and advisers learning from each other. However, the 40+ competitions at NHSJC are what test a student’s limits. In the on-site competitions, journalists have to show their best work with an unknown prompt in a limited amount of time, testing how they can perform under pressure.
One of the biggest takeaways from the trip was meeting staff members of “The Vanderbilt Hustler”, including Editor-in-Chief Jacob Stoebner, Deputy Sports Editors David Hernandez and Grace Hall, Deputy News Editor Swarada Kulkarni and Opinion Editor Manushree Navaneethakrishnan. They also met with the editor in chief of “The Athletic,” the sports section of The New York Times.
“It was inspiring to see how students at Vanderbilt develop skills in writing, critical thinking, and confidence through contributing to the Vanderbilt newspaper,” sophomore Isabella Damas said.
“This experience showed me that journalism can provide skills that I can apply to my future career.”
Overall, the trip was a great learning experience for students; they had the opportunity to compete and connect with other student journalists while honing their own abilities.
