Friday extended sessions

Extended sessions are two- or three-hour, hands-on mini-workshops on Friday.

You may need to bring your own equipment. There is no additional cost to attend but, with limited seating, students are asked to sign up in advance in the convention app in the Polls and Surveys section. In the convention app, students may reserve a seat in one extended session. By signing up for an extended session, you agree to stay the entire scheduled time.

These sessions are available for students only, and there is a limit of three students from the same school per session. Attendees will receive confirmation by April 14.

How to make sports a go-to for yearbook and newspaper

Two-hour session. While sports are often the favorite of high school communities, journalism students might shy away from writing the sports story because they feel they don’t know enough. In this two-hour session, we’ll look for ways to help you write that sports feature, gamer or season wrap-up with confidence. We’ll show you how to pick out key stats and information as well.

Joanna Chadwick, Derby (Kansas) High School
9-10:45 a.m., Continental 2, Ballroom Level 

Ask better, edit better, write better

Two-hour session. Come to this workshop if you want to be able to interview anyone about anything anytime and anywhere and end up with a compelling, easy-to-write story. We’ll work on two under-used storytelling formats — the Q&A and the round table — and learn how to either use them on their own or as the basis of an engaging, quote-driven story. This accessible, Lego-like approach to building your article takes the pressure off of beginning writers and produces compelling, interesting stories that let the students speak for themselves. 

Tiffany Kopcak, CJE, Colonial Forge High School, Stafford, Virginia
9-10:45 a.m., Union Square 15&16, Fourth Floor

Let’s get social

Two-hour session. Learn tips and tricks to use your publication’s social media accounts to help maximize coverage, readership, participation and hype. Don’t have social media yet — don’t worry. You’ll be ready to create accounts before you leave.

Sarah Lerner, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida
9-10:45 a.m., Franciscan C-D, Ballroom Level 

Developing engaging online packages using multimedia tools 

Three-hour session. This interactive session will expose students to best practices for creating online multimedia content. We will examine multimedia story packages as well as demonstrate how to plan them and utilize a variety of multimedia tools to execute that plan. This session will provide an opportunity for students to apply what they’ve learned. Students will report, create and share with the group.

Melissa Falkowski, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida
9-11:45 a.m., Union Square 17&18, Fourth Floor 

Yearbook theme jump start

Two-hour session. Editors for the 2023-24 yearbook: Plan to attend this two-hour session to get a jump start on the new book. We’ll talk about theme development with a focus on theme copy. Your theme and theme copy establishes two things: the voice of your book and the story you will tell. We’ll brainstorm theme ideas, study strong examples and learn key methods that will help you on your way to a powerful theme.

Justin Daigle, MJE, Brighton (Colorado) High School, and
Debra Klevens, CJE, Parkway West High School, Ballwin, Missouri

10-11:45 a.m., Golden Gate 3, Lobby Level 

Building your multimedia toolbox

Two-hour session. Learn how to use multimedia tools to enhance online storytelling in this hands-on extended session. Participants will look at examples of how various tools can be used before creating their own multimedia. Bringing a computer is recommended. 

Louisa Avery, MJE, The American School in London
11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., Continental 2, Ballroom Level 

Editorial leadership

Two-hour session. Leader is a loaded word in the newsroom. Is it based on tenure, skill set, personality traits or some combination of each? The purpose of this session is to enable you to fulfill your job description on staff. We’ll discuss leadership styles, help you troubleshoot your problem areas, work on role-play scenarios commonly seen in the newsroom and seek a collaborative approach to empower you as coach-mentor-editor on staff. Leaders of all levels and programs are welcome.

David Ragsdale, CJE, Clarke Central H.S., Athens, Georgia
1-2:45 p.m., Continental 2, Ballroom Level 

DSLR camera boot camp

Two-hour session. Two-hour session. If you have ever taken that “perfect” picture only to find that it is grainy and out of focus, this session is for you. You will not only learn the rules of composition, but also how your camera actually works. No previous photo skills required. A DSLR (or similar) camera with SD card, card reader and laptop is encouraged for this hands-on workshop.

Michael Malcom-Bjorklund, CJE, Columbia High School, Lake City, Florida
1-2:45 p.m., Union Square 3&4, Fourth Floor

Making a professional broadcast workflow from beginning to end

Two-hour session. In this mini-workshop, we will create a workflow from start to finish.  As we get hands on with broadcast, we will model some of the best ways to get solid interviews, b-roll, and writing to work together and create storytelling that will increase your production value as well as grow your audience within your community. Students are encouraged to bring their own equipment, but it is not required.

Patrick Moring, CJE, Rampart High School, Colorado Springs
1-2:45 p.m., Golden Gate 8, Lobby Level

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