Members of the ODYSSEY Media Group pose before their formal staff dinner in Orlando, Florida. Staffers attended the National Scholastic Press Association fall conference on Nov. 12-15. “I thought the conference was amazing,” Tiernan O’Neill, Editor-in-Chief of the ODYSSEY Online, said. “There were classes on a myriad of subjects and every session I attended was extremely helpful.”
By TIERRA HAYES – Writing Coach
Members of the ODYSSEY staff attended the National Scholastic Press Association Fall Conference in Orlando, Florida on Nov. 12-15.
Twenty members of the Clarke Central High School ODYSSEY Media Group attended the annual 2015 National Scholastic Press Association Fall Convention, “Media Magic”, in Orlando, Florida from Nov. 12-15. The convention drew more than 6000 high school journalists from around the globe.
The opening session was presented by keynote speaker Andy Staples, a senior writer for Sports Illustrated. During his speech, Staples highlighted the importance of persistence in the field of journalism by speaking on his own experiences.
“The keynote speech from Andy Staples was particularly intriguing because I come from an upbringing entrenched in sports media. The same guy who was presenting in front of thousands of student journalists from across the country has worked with my dad and his coworkers on coverage of UGA football,” Kevin Mobley, Editor-in-Chief of the ODYSSEY Newsmagazine, said. “He also expressed that he was driven to persevere with journalism in spite of all the chaos, stories gone awry and rejections, which was encouraging.”
Staff members were able to attend multiple informative sessions taught by professional journalists, advisors and peers alike.
“I thought the conference was amazing,” Tiernan O’Neill, Editor-in-Chief of the ODYSSEY Online, said. “There were classes on a myriad of subjects and every session I attended was extremely helpful.”
While in attendance, all CCHS students participated in on-site Quiz Bowl competitions in five teams of four. All but one of the teams advanced out of the preliminary round.
The ODYSSEY Red team, which consisted of O’Neill, ODYSSEY Newsmagazine Copy Editor Sara Goodie, ODYSSEY Online Managing Editor Aneesa Conine-Nakano and Broadcast Managing Editor Karla Dougan, made it into the Elite Eight brackets, but fell to Scotch Plains Fanwood High School with a score of 8-10.
“The Quiz Bowl experience was solid. I enjoyed studying collaboratively with my team prior to the competition and was proud of our effort,” Mobley said. The ODYSSEY Media Group members received recognition while in attendance to the conference.
- The ODYSSEY Online received fifth place for the NSPA Best in Show.
- Fifth place was awarded to Louise Platter, former Editor-in-Chief of the ODYSSEY Newsmagazine, former Editor-in-Chief of the iliad Literary Magazine, Ethan Crane, and current Senior Visuals Editor Ella Sams in the “Best Design” category for Literary-Art Magazines.
- Sams was also awarded fourth place for her work in the Cartooning competition.
- Former Visuals Editor Chad Rhym received a Honorable Mention in the Environmental Portrait section of the Photo of the Year competition.
ODYSSEY Newsmagazine Managing Editor Amelia DeLamater believes attending the convention was a dynamic experience for all who attended.
“NSPA is so important because you get to be with people who care about journalism with such a deep passion and want to succeed and it’s so energized to be with those people,” DeLamater said. “I loved being there because even though we were busy the entire time, I never felt truly tired because I was learning so much. It’s also such a great editors’ bonding experience.”
Attendees included senior Emily Watson, juniors Sophie Fernandes, Julie Alpaugh, Christina Kurian, Catherine Argabright, Grace Allen-Polaneczky and Elizabeth Jurado and sophomores Dalace Thomas, Delia Adamson, Johanna Hall, Violet Merritt, Zoe Peterson and Jordan Rhym.
Students like ODYSSEY Newsmagazine News Editor Katy Mayfield feel the experience was the most powerful of her two-year career. “NSPA was the most unifying and galvanizing experience I’ve ever been a part of since joining staff last year,” Mayfield said. “Being on a bus with people for eight hours really forces you to bond.”
