On Thursday, Oct. 22, WAHS publications and journalism students had the opportunity to attend the Pennsylvania Student Press Association (PSPA) regional competition and conference at Bloomsburg University. Students who are members of Billtown Banner, TV Productions, and Yearbook competed in various categories and listened to presentations from student and professional journalism organizations to gain firsthand insight into the field.
After checking in, students who were competing stayed behind in the reception room and began the process. Senior member of Billtown Banner and Yearbook, Kamorah Smith, competed in the Yearbook Copy Writing category. Sophomore Madalyn Miller, a member of the Journalism and Yearbook class, showed off her design skills in the Yearbook Spread Design competition. Cooper Gutberlet, a junior participant in Billtown Banner and TV Productions, wrote an article for the Newspaper Sports Writing category. Senior Yearbook editor Jayden Parker competed in the Yearbook Photography contest. Finally, TV Productions members Emily Fullop, Breah Phillips, and Jaslin Shand worked together to create a submission for Broadcast Feature Package. Competitors will receive their results shortly, which will determine their ability to compete at the PSPA state conference in December in Hershey.
For those not competing, the day began with a presentation from the university’s student newspaper editors. They discussed how they manage their printing process, noting rising printing costs and the growing demand for digital versions in today’s world. The editors explained how their website operates, including how breaking news is highlighted, and played videos throughout the session to demonstrate how video content can attract more attention to articles. Mike McFarland, director of athletics at Bloomsburg, also explained how to pitch a journalism story.
People in attendance also heard from Julie Sidoni, head of public affairs at WVIA, about a new local news collaboration. She discussed working with students to bring news from communities to the news stations because they can’t cover everywhere in the state themselves. Sidoni then stated, “This is the first place this project has been announced for the state and it’s a brand-new program. This is also a great way for you to get involved across the state.”
The conference also had speakers from Spotlight PA, Stephen Caruso and Angela Couloumbis, who focused on investigative and political journalism. Caruso said that Spotlight is about “putting someone in that room to ask those annoying questions.” They then talked about tools they use, the right to access public records, and the basics of reporting.
To wrap up the day, people headed over to the University cafeteria for a complimentary lunch served in a buffet style. After that, some schools headed home as others toured more facilities on campus, including TV studios and audio studios and campus newspaper site.
