JEA/NSPA
Fall National High School
Journalism Convention
Nov. 8-11, 2007
Philadelphia Marriott Downtown
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Photo by Alejandro Benito, Cy-Falls High School
(Houston, Texas; Lisa Van Etta) |
CLICK HERE to view the recipients of awards in the JEA Write-off competitions.
UPDATED!
View the drafts of the Board meeting and General Membership minutes CLICK HERE
Contest Award Recipients
Editorial
Kate O’Connor, The Wire, West Potomac High School, Alexandria, Virginia
Judges' comments: "This piece shows good understanding of the issues at play — most prominently the broadening of the definition of 'school grounds' — and spins the issue forward." "Raises good questions about impact on Facebook, Myspace – which will grab attention of readers who use such media."
Cartoon
Julie Zhu, Silver Chips, Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, Maryland
Judges' comments: "Fantastic ink work. Good clean drawing."
Runner-up
Hanna Guenther, Chieftain, Montrose High School, Colorado
Judges' comments: "Good cartoon style, clean drawing and clear opinion. Well Done."
News Package: No Award
Judges included three journalism educators, an attorney from the Student Press Law Center, and professional journalists from The Seattle Times and The Wenatchee (Wash.) World.
Semi-annual report CLICK HERE
(A 556KB PDF file)
Conference program (PDF)
CLICK HERE (1.6MB PDF file)
Registration booklet (PDF)
CLICK HERE (2MB PDF file)
If you plan to have students in the write-off competitions, CLICK HERE to review the rules.
Airline travel
The authorization number for American Airlines is A1137SS. The airline offers a 5 percent discount off the lowest applicable published fare. You or your travel agent should call 1-800-433-1790 or visit the Web site, aa.com.
Pre-conference promotional brochure (PDF)
CLICK HERE
Jane Blystone, MJE
North East High School, 1901 Freeport Road, North East, PA 16428
H: 814-725-9187 W: 814-725-8671 ext. 1115
blystone@adelphia.net
jblystone@nesd1.k12.pa.us
BROADCAST COMPETITIONS, from Connie Fulkerson, Nov. 2: This is a reminder for those who have students in the broadcast contests in Philadelphia. Some of the contests will meet earlier in the day on Friday. The students will need their contest ticket (label) to enter the contest room. Make sure you check the Write-off rules online to make sure you have the equipment and supplies your students need to participate. CLICK HERE
8 a.m. Friday
Tickets for this contest need to be picked up at the Write-off desk in Franklin Hall before 7 p.m. Thursday. Moderators will give students
additional information (assignments, taping times, when and where to return tapes, etc.)
Room 301 — 42 Broadcast Package
Room 302-303 — 39 In-Camera Feature
Room 304 — 43 Videography
1 p.m. Friday
Students will write scripts here first, then will be taken to another location in the hotel for taping.
Room 301 — 40 On-Air Reporter
44 Broadcast Commentary
1:30 p.m. Friday (Carry-in Contests)
Room 302-303 — 34 Broadcast News Story
35 Broadcast Sports Story
46 Podcasting
1:30 p.m. Friday (Carry-in Contests)
Room 307 36 Broadcast Feature Story
37 Broadcast Commercial/PSA
4 p.m. Friday
Broadcast Newswriting and Radio News meet at the same time as other Write-off contests. See Convention Update for room assignments.
If you have any further questions about the broadcast competition, please contact Carol Lange at langejour@aol.com. Write-off registration is closed. If you need to correct or substitute a name in a PRE-REGISTERED category, you may do that at the Write-off desk which will be in Franklin Hall near the convention registration desk.
SAFETY, from Linda Puntney, Nov. 2: Let me assure you the area we are in is safe. We would never book a convention in an area where we thought our young delegates would be in danger. Like any city you should take some precautions. Don't wear your nametags outside the hotel. Go in pairs or groups after dark. Be aware of your surroundings and the people in the area.Carry your purse close to your body with an arm or hand on the opening. The cabs are fine. At the airport go to the taxi stand and they will put you in a cab that is part of their approved cab companies. Don't be afraid to ride the light rail which will take you from the airport to across the street from the hotel. You are visiting a wonderful, historic city that is truly at the core of our freedoms. Enjoy yourself. Experience the beauty and lessons of the city. Be cautious but not afraid.
SAFETY, from Randy Swikle, Nov. 2: On the streets of any JEA/NSPA convention site, I advise my students to keep smiling, keep walking and keep together. Even in the City of Brotherly Love, good manners must to yield to safety. Never stop when approached by a stranger. Don't make eye contact when approached. Don't wear name badges on the street. I have seen many "bad guys and gals" near hotels that are hosting young delegates. Not all kids are street smart. They have to be reminded to keep alert and resist any temptation to be drawn into a web because they want to be polite. Remember that journalistic concern: credibility. If a seemingly nice adult truly needs help, he would seek it from another adult, not a student.
NEWSMAGAZINE WRITE-OFF CONTEST: CLICK HERE to download the material for this revised carry-in competition.
PARKS ON SUNDAY, from Jane Blystone, Oct. 26:
Nov. 11, 2007, Veterans Day - Sunday
8:30 a.m.- 5 p.m. Independence Visitor Center
9 am.- 5 p.m. Independence Hall, Liberty Bell Center, New Hall Military Museum
noon - 5 p.m. National Constitution Center
For entrance into Independence Hall, you must have a tour ticket with a specific day and time. You need a ticket from March 1 to December 31, except for July 4 and Thanksgiving. Walk-up tickets are available for free on the morning of your visit at the Independence Visitor Center at 6th and Market Street starting at 8:30 AM the first tour starts at 9 a.m. You have the greatest choice of times if you arrive between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. During the busy season, tickets are often gone by 1 p.m.
Tickets may be reserved up to one year in advance through the National Park Reservation system. Call 1800-967-2283 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern Time or you can CLICK HERE. While tickets to Independence Hall are free, the reservation fee is $1.50.
For the most up-to-date information on the Independence Hall ticket program visit these websites: www.nps.gov/inde or
www.independencevisitorcenter.com or call the Independence Visitor Center at 215-965-2305.
MUST VISIT SITES, from Mark Newton, Oct. 24:
- If you’re heading to Philadelphia next month, you have to check out this Web
site, CLICK HERE.
- And, this looks like a place that all high school journalists must visit: CLICK HERE
- If you’re trying to save a some cash for the JEA bookstore
SEE WHO'S COMIN', from Mark Wood, Oct. 19: Now that the earlybird deadline has passed, you can see a list of
publications and exhibitors registered to attend the Philly convention CLICK HERE. We are already at 4,000 delegates registered for the convention, so we look forward to a healthy turnout. There's still more than two weeks to register, so if you haven't done so, you can do it online, CLICK HERE.
TRAIN, from Jane Blystone, Oct. 15: CLICK HERE for schedules and maps for all train and bus schedules
THINGS TO DO, from Mark Newton, Oct. 7:
- South Street — The ultimate place to watch people and grab a bite to eat! CLICK HERE
- The Italian Market — Umm, so the boys can act like Rocky, and you can eat at Pat's King of Steaks!
- Old City — History, good food and much to do!
RENTAL CAR, from Logan Aimone, Oct. 2: If you plan to attend the national convention and will need to rent a car or van for transportation, consider using Avis Rent A Car. NSPA has a discount code which should guarantee 5 percent off the lowest-priced rental and as much as 20% off. It is available from 7 days before to 7 days after the event and includes free mileage. The group name (National Scholastic Press Association) and the discount number (G028117) are both there. This same discount is available for our Philadelphia convention as well as Anaheim in April and St. Louis next fall. CLICK HERE for details and to reserve a car.
TOURIST INFORMATION, from Mark Newton, Sept. 26: Here are three Web sites you need to visit before you visit:
HOTEL ROOMS, from Linda Puntney, Sept. 21: Just a reminder that if you have not received a confirmation number from the Philadelphia Marriott or the Courtyard by Marriott the best course of action at this point would be to contact Chris McDonald at A Room With a View. Room-With-A-View's phone number is 1-800-780-4343. As near as I can figure it at this point we have already filled more than1,000 rooms although our convention registration is under 600.
HOTEL UPDATE, from Logan Aimone, NSPA, Sept. 20: The second update is happening much sooner than I expected. Our block of rooms at the Philadelphia Marriott is sold. So is our second block at the Courtyard by Marriott. Please contact A Room With A View for information on the designated NSPA / JEA overflow hotel. They will secure the lowest rates within walking distance to the Philadelphia Marriott Hotel. A Room With A View can be reached at 1-800-780-4343. This is a FREE SERVICE to all NSPA / JEA attendees.
HOTEL ROOMS, from Logan Aimone, NSPA, Sept. 20: Yes, all the rooms in our block at the Philadelphia Marriott are booked. Our block was large, even larger than past conventions. The Philadelphia Marriott has forwarded some of the faxed reservations to its sister property, the Courtyard by Marriott, which is less than one block from the Philadelphia Marriott. We have a smaller block of rooms there, and I suspect they will fill if not already full. Once those hotels are full, JEA/NSPA will provide you with a contact for A Room With A View, a resource many of you have worked with in the past. We've already been in contact with them and they are ready to help you make reservations. Watch for that information on JEAHELP as well as both Web sites. If your reservation at the Marriott properties could not be accommodated, the hotel should communicate that with you.
As someone who has taken students to many conventions, I know that location and walking distance is a concern due to student supervison and safety. Fortunately, Philadelphia is a city whose downtown area has many hotels in the neighborhood around our convention.
Finally, if you reserved rooms at the Philadelphia Marriott and find you do not need them, or of you have space in your room and want to share it with someone needing it, please post a message to JEAHELP. This helps maintain all those reservations in our block, and it helps a colleague.
TRANSPORTATION TO HOTEL, from Jane Blystone, Sept. 19: Here is your best ride info for transportation from the Philadelphia International Airport to the Marriott Downtown hotel. Use the Regional Rail system - SEPTA's Regional Rail – Take the R1 Airport Line from the Philadelphia International Airport to Market East station. It runs every half-hour, seven days a week. Cost $4.00 per individual. Market East Station (10th & Filbert Sts) is right in front of the hotel. If you go to this site you can download a PDF of the schedules for the train that runs from the airport to the hotel and vice versa. Yes, it runs on Saturdays and Sundays. Go to AIRPORT on the list and it will open the schedule. CLICK HERE
HOTEL RESERVATIONS, from Linda Puntney, Sept. 8: If you fax your reservations to 215-625-6755 the reservation will go directly to the Philadelphia Marriott. We have reserved a ton of double/double rooms and they do have them. The information you are hearing is standard operating procedure for the Philadelphia Marriott. They don't normally guarantee room type even if they have it available. In our case they will do so. The hotel expected the reservations to come in via fax so they were confident they could control the room type internally. Obviously, that hasn't happened but we're all working to find the smoothest way to handle our reservations. For right now faxing your reservations,
especially if they are for double/double rooms, is the safest thing to do.
AIRLINE, from Logan Aimone, Sept. 6: The authorization number from American Airlines is A1137SS. From the registration book, page 19: "If your desired ticket is not available in the discounted inventory, you will be informed that the code is invalid." Basically, the airline discount is not available on every ticket. Sounds like the tickets Ryan wants aren't in that inventory.
Outreach Academy
A Journalism Education Association initiative to promote both diversity and membership growth, the Outreach Academy is a free, intensive pre-convention seminar for publications advisers who have five years or fewer advising experience and/or teach in schools traditionally underrepresented in JEA membership, especially low-income, urban and rural schools. The program includes discussion of teaching journalism to highly diverse populations, effective instructional techniques, resources for teachers in and out of the classroom, and organizations ready to help advisers.
Limited to 15 participants each day, tuition is free, with breakfast and lunch provided. The Outreach Academy runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 7 for Philadelphia-area teachers and Thursday, November 8 for those from outside the region. Participation in the program includes free teacher registration to the convention, Nov. 8 – 11, four days packed with informative and inspiring speakers, reporting, design, photography and broadcast workshops for students and teachers, student contests and awards presentations. JEA will pay $100 in substitute pay to each participant’s school district. Those selected are also eligible for scholarships to attend other journalism workshops for up to one year after the Outreach Academy.
NAA Foundation Fellowships
Six $500 fellowships are available through the Newspaper Association of America Foundation to defray lodging and travel costs. Preference will be given to advisers who have fewer than five years experience or have never attended a national convention. Consideration will be given to advisers who are new to JEA, teach in schools with economically disadvantaged students or are advisers of color.
CLICK HERE for more information on the Outreach Academy.
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