4000 students, 1 passion

By Zoe Juanitas,

HUB Correspondent–

            Jstuds, yerds and speakers alike dispersed throughout the Marriott Marquis in downtown San Francisco this past week at the semi-annual National High School Journalism Convention.

The full experience, which lasted from Thursday morning to Saturday afternoon, offered young aspiring journalists and yearbook members the access to informational seminars and speakers from across the country.

Students also had the choice to pick and choose between nearly 400 workshops, discussion groups and keynotes to attend. With subjects covering design, ethics and law, advertising, basic reporting skills and photography – there was a little something for everyone.

Zach Baker, a yearbook photographer from Glenview, Illinois enjoyed the connections he made through some of the seminars he attended. “I’ve actually met a lot of professionals in the field and got to hear a lot about how they work, so that was pretty cool,” he said.

Not only did the convention give insight into the life as a professional journalist and photographer, but it also gave newspaper members a chance to get to know each other better. One of the workshops, named “From Staff to Family,” gave tips and tricks on how to create personal connections with staff members.

Student speaker and leader of the workshop, Lily Hartzell, said that the highlight of the convention was having the opportunity to share her ideas to improve high school newspapers across the country.

On their free time students got to explore the city with their peers and sightsee the City by the Bay’s famous landmarks, including Chinatown, the Ferry Building and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

The week came to an end with a dance held on Friday night, giving students the opportunity to say farewell to their new friends.

Upcoming conventions sponsored by the National Scholastic Press Association include one held in Boston in November, and another in San Diego next spring. Whether or not The Hub will be one of the attendees, the San Francisco convention alone gave many of the students like Charlie Harris, The Hub’s new business manager, a new perspective on high school journalism.

“Seeing all these other high school journalists from across the country really makes me realize that we’re part of something more, like I’m part of something larger than myself,” Harris said.