Immediately after spring break ended, 11 student journalists traveled to the far reaches of Pennsylvania in order to compete against their peers in the state student journalism competition run by the Pennsylvania School Press Association (PSPA). In order to reach this stage the students needed the highest score in their category at regionals. Parkland had eight students achieve this next step to compete at states.
The students were chaperoned by Par Key and The Trumpet’s advisor Mrs. Beck and English teacher Mrs. Thomas. The group traveled to Penn State University on the morning of April 2nd, and, upon arriving, got the opportunity to explore the school campus and surrounding area. The area is named “Happy Valley” after the bright spirits of those who stay there. “Happy Valley had a very unique sense of community. It was neat to see the bustling crowds and students going about their days,” said Elsa Hoderewski (11) competing in the Podcasting category. “It definitely made me consider Penn State for college.”
The second day was competition time. The Parkland students trekked through the rain to get to the HUB-Robeson Center where the competition was being held. After being welcomed by the PSPA president, Aaron Fitzpatrick, the students participated in a press conference for Sarah Higgins, the Penn State University Assistant Athletics Director. The crowd was able to learn about her past experiences and all about her current job and responsibilities. “I did find what she said very helpful and I found it interesting that she had a background in journalism because you wouldn’t always expect someone with her position to have that kind of background,” said Max Averbach about the press conference.
Afterward, the contest began for five of the Parkland students. Jane Lovell (12) and Ale Catala (12) competed in Yearbook Spread Design, Max Averbach (11) in Newspaper Sports Writing, Rachel Rippke (11) in Yearbook Caption Writing, and Mehar Brar (10) in Literary Magazine Artwork. While none of these competitors ended up taking home the first-place prize, Parkland still has three participants who will find out their results within the next few weeks, so there is still a chance for the school to earn some accolades. “I think I did pretty well, I didn’t realize that there was a theme which I think knocked a few points off of my final score,” said Lovell about her performance.
To end the final day all the students filtered back into the main hall to listen to the Keynote Speaker, Ashlie Crosson, who was the winner of Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year. She spoke about lessons she had learned in her own life and how to use them for yourself and your own future.
The PSPA state competition gave Parkland students a great look into college life and even more insight into their options as journalists. The whole experience gave the Parkland press students a new outlook on what they do. “During the press conference we were able to be exposed to real journalists in their everyday life,” said Parkey co-Editor-in-Chief Nessa Stauffer (12). “Being able to go to the PSPA state competition allowed me to experience what it’s like to be a journalist. ”
