Members of the ODYSSEY Media Group staff pose for a group photo on March 4 during the 2017 Southern Interscholastic Press Association (SIPA) convention in Columbia, S.C. For freshman Katie Grace Upchurch, her first SIPA experience made her realize her love for the ODYSSEY program and the SIPA conference. “It was really eye-opening, especially when we would all come together and talk about what we took away from our sessions or from the overall experience,” Upchurch said. “(Going to) SIPA means being able to learn, see my friends being recognized for the incredible things that they do and spend time with the people I care about.” Photo by Caitlin Collins.
By ELENA GILBERTSON HALL – Staff Writer
By DELIA ADAMSON – Print News Editor
By VALERIA GARCIA-POZO – News Editor
Members of the ODYSSEY Media Group traveled to Columbia, S.C. for the 2017 Southern Interscholastic Press Association conference from March 2-5.
Nearly 600 students from 40 different schools across the south convened in Columbia, S.C. for three days of journalistic learning and networking among publications at the annual Southern Interscholastic Press Association (SIPA) conference. The convention featured keynote speakers, on-site competitions, a dance, informational sessions and more.
Thirty-three Clarke Central High School students from the ODYSSEY Media Group traveled to the SIPA conference to take part in the journalistic and staff bonding experiences the convention had to offer.
ODYSSEY Newsmagazine staff writer Kennae Hunter has attended the conference for the three years she has been on staff. She feels that each trip offers new lessons and experiences.
“I think one of my biggest takeaways (from SIPA) is that it takes a team to do anything. You might think that you are really smart and really capable, but the Team On-Site Production (TOP) competition showed me that you need other people to make anything work,” Hunter said. “My team ended up winning, so we wouldn’t have been able to do that without people transcribing, interviewing and laying it out.”
Several members of the ODYSSEY staff led sessions for other student journalists at the conference on topics including leadership, social media and editorial writing. ODTV Executive Producer Johanna Hall, ODYSEY Newsmagazine News Editor Delia Adamson and ODYSSEY Online Sports EditorOlivia Ripps presented on being an effective editor and leader. ODYSSEY Online staff writer Stacee Dillard and ODYSSEY Newsmagazine Sports Editor Hannah Gale presented on creating a strong social media presence as a staff. ODYSSEY Newsmagazine Viewpoints Editor Katy Mayfield and ODYSSEY Newsmagazine Variety Editor Jurnee Louder presented on editorial writing. ODYSSEY Newsmagazine Editor-in-Chief Lucia Bermudez, ODYSSEY Newsmagazine Lead Copy Editor Jordan Rhym, ODYSSEY Online Editor-in-Chief Aneesa Conine-Nakano, ODYSSEY Online Managing Editor Suncana Pavlic and ODYSSEY Media Group adviser David Ragsdale presented a pre-convention class called “What it takes to be a leader”, which focused on leadership within the journalism classroom.
“We’ve developed a culture that grows leaders within and outside the context of journalism and the reciprocity piece is huge – you have to give back that which you learned,” Ragsdale said. “So, I’m always pleased when our kids want to present and network with other students and even other advisers.”
Juniors Olivia Ripps, Delia Adamson and Johanna Hall pose for a picture before presenting their session at the SIPA conference on March 5. According to Hall, the reciprocal aspect of presenting is appealing. “From the audience evaluation forms I’ve seen, people really enjoyed our session and we all got a lot of good questions at the end,” Hall said. “I really enjoyed the experience and hope I will be able to help more people through presentations and sharing knowledge in the future.” Photo courtesy of Bryn Adamson.
First Flight High School senior and Nighthawk News Editor-in-Chief Mary Pat Thompson has attended the ODYSSEY’s pre-convention session for the last two years. According to Thompson, each time she attended, she came away with something new.
“I decided to attend it again because it was so beneficial last year. In fact, when my adviser asked which pre-con class I wanted to go to, I almost immediately answered ‘Editorial Leadership’,” Thompson said. “The students who helped lead it were so professional and helpful. I had an amazing experience.”
Hall reflects on her ability to present in front of people and her growth in confidence since the first SIPA she attended.
“At this SIPA conference, I presented for the first time outside the classroom. It was a pretty surreal experience because the last time I was at SIPA, I was a wide-eyed freshman with little confidence, and I definitely never thought I would ever be able to present at a regional conference, much less in front of about 60 to 80 people. But it actually went really well,” Hall said. “I really enjoyed the experience and hope I will be able to help more people through presentations and sharing knowledge in the future.”
The conference presented staffers with the opportunity to participate in TOP competitions in photography, newspaper and broadcast. Additionally, students participated in Quiz Bowl, a journalistic trivia contest where CCHS teams placed two teams in the final four. One team — consisting of ODYSSEY Newsmagazine staff writer Gabriel Mantione-Holmes, ODYSSEY Online Web Master Katie Grace Upchurch, ODYSSEY Newsmagazine staff writer Everett Vereen and iliad Literary Magazine Editor-in-Chief Sara Goodie — took second place in the final round.
“I’ve always been into trivia, and I’ve done things like reading bowl before, so the idea and format of Quiz Bowl was familiar. The material was a different story. I think a lot of my success lied in good memory and educated guesses,” Vereen said. “It was nerve wracking, but it was a lot of fun and I hope I get the opportunity to do it next year.”
In addition to journalistic opportunities for growth, Bermudez feels that the conference provided moments to connect with fellow staffers and cultivate stronger bonds within the program.
“We are always in class together, but we don’t always get to be in a setting where we can really just hang out and have a good time without the pressure of production, or trying to get a good grade, or whatever it might be. (At SIPA we are) able to have fun, meet new people and get to know our peers more,” Bermudez said.
Goodie agrees with Bermudez and believes the skills developed at SIPA are crucial not only for journalistic careers, but all future experiences.
“SIPA to me is all about unity. It is getting to know each other and getting to know yourself and what your goals are, of course journalistically, but also just in general,” Goodie said. “The lessons that we learn here will be invaluable for the rest of our lives.”
Goodie served as the 2017 SIPA president and at the conference, passed the torch to Gale, who was named the 2018 SIPA president during the conference.
“I ran for president because I really enjoyed SIPA last year and I felt that I could help improve SIPA and make it better. SIPA meant a lot to me last year and it means even more to me this year. Being elected president and working with the people involved with SIPA — I am so honored to be able to help plan SIPA next year,” Gale said.
At the SIPA awards ceremony, the ODYSSEY Media Group received multiple awards which are all listed at the end of this article.
Conine-Nakano is proud of the accomplishments of the entire staff and feels that every staffer was a part of each win.
“Awards aren’t the most important part of SIPA, but it was amazing for the magazine, website, and iliad to win Best-in-Show. So much effort and teamwork goes into every piece, so I think everyone is leaving with a huge sense of unity and pride,” Conine-Nakano said.
For Conine-Nakano, the bonding opportunity SIPA offers is the most important aspect of the trip.
“SIPA has always been a great trip for me. Every year it is different, but by the end, we always end as a closer staff,” Conine-Nakano said. “This year has been testing in many ways, but throughout all of it, we have stayed a family. No one is ever truly alone and part of being in ODYSSEY is having a staff that will always have your back.”
For Ragsdale, who has brought CCHS students to the conference since 2006, the trip is the galvanizing moment of the year for most ODYSSEY Media Group students.
“We are a program that is fortunate to have supportive administrators at the school and board level, who understand how important these trips are. But of all the trips we take, be they national, or local, it’s this one that really helps our kids figure out their place — not simply as journalists, but as citizens in a media-driven world,” Ragsdale said.
Above is gallery from the 2017 SIPA conference. Photos by Julie Alpaugh and Kiki Griffin.
Click here to view a timeline of posts from the ODYSSEY Media Group at SIPA. Compilation by Katie Grace Upchurch.
Awards:
Staff awards:
Scroggins Award (top honors): ODYSSEY Newsmagazine, Best Newspaper at SIPA
Scroggins Award (top honors): ODYSSEY Online, Best Website at SIPA
Scroggins Award (top honors): the iliad, Best Literary Magazine at SIPA
Best in State Newspaper (Georgia) : ODYSSEY Newsmagazine
All-Southern: the iliad Literary-Art Magazine
All-Southern: ODYSSEY Newsmagazine
All-Southern: ODYSSEY Online
Individual awards:
Best in Show: Ashley Lawrence, Editorial Cartoon
Best in Show: Ashley Lawrence, Illustration
Best in Show: Julie Alpaugh and Lucia Bermudez, Newsmagazine Cover
Best in Show: Jurnee Louder, Entertainment Page
Best in Show: Sunčana Pavlić, Computer Graphics
Best in Show: Zoe Peterson, Environmental Portrait
First Place: ODYSSEY Staff, Staff Editorial
First Place: Johanna Hall, Sports Feature
First Place: Suncana Pavlic, Alternative Storytelling
First Place: Maddie Rose Hall, Reviews
Second Place: Andrew Caldwell and Kevin Mobley, News Story
Second Place: Kevin Mobley, Investigative Story
Award of Merit: Emily Watson and Lela Jenkins, Cover
Award of Merit: Emily Watson and Lela Jenkins, Gallery spread
Award of Merit: Emily Watson and Lela Jenkins, Nonfiction spread
Award of Merit: Emily Watson and Lela Jenkins, Poetry spread
Award of Merit: Emily Watson and Lela Jenkins, Table of contents
Award of Merit: Jurnee Louder, Entertainment page
Award of Merit: Hannah Gale and Julie Alpaugh, Sports page
Award of Merit: Katie Grace Upchurch, Computer graphics
Award of Merit: Julie Alpaugh, Sports photo
Third Place: Sophie Fernandes, Prose Non-Fiction
Third Place: Emma Ramsay, Review
Third Place: Aneesa Conine-Nakano, Alternative Storytelling
Third Place: Aneesa Conine-Nakano, Features
Honorable mention: Julie Alpaugh, Club Photo
Competitions:
First Place: Valeria Garcia-Pozo, Grammar Guru
First Place: Connor McCage, Review Writing
Best Overall: Delia Adamson, Katie Grace Upchurch, Katy Mayfield and Kennae Hunter, Newspaper TOP
Best Design: Delia Adamson, Katie Grace Upchurch, Katy Mayfield and Kennae Hunter,
Newspaper TOP
Best Captions: Sunčana Pavlić and Emma Crane, Photography TOP
Second Place: CCHS Heavy D — Sara Goodie, Gabriel Mantione-Holmes, Katie
Grace Upchurch and Everett Vereen, Quiz Bowl
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