Seven newspaper staff members received grants to attend the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s  83rd Annual Fall Conference. At the coference on Nov. 6,  high school students  had the opportunity to hear from professionals in the field and gain  insights into the world of journalism. It also provided a platform for student journalists to connect and network with each other.

“I learned many tips and advice to utilize in my newspaper, ” said Tahmina Marjan, a 10th-grade staff writer. “It helped me gain a better understanding of how to write specific types of newspaper articles.”  She particularly enjoyed learning about how to accurately execute an in-depth writing piece.

Jomayra Amparo, a 10th-grade staff writer, found the most valuable part of the conference to be the professor’s advice on how to journal accurately.  “I enjoyed how everyone had questions,” she siad.

Marie Coatl Camacho, 10th-grade staff writer,  liked “attending the whole class in general because it was very important to know the factors of college courses.” She described the experience as “scary” due to having to take notes as quickly as possible. 

Fahima Akter, a 11th-grade staff writer, said, “The most valuable information I got from the conference was that I learned art is a big part of journalism and it is easy to get people’s attention using art.”

Evelyn Mendez, a 10th grade English teacher who advises the yearbook club, also attended along with Deborah Porterfield, the newspaper advisor.

“It was fun and the conference was really interesting and informative,” Ms. Mendez said.