Record crowd attends High School Workshop
A record 427 high school media students and their advisers from 16 schools attended the 36th annual Journalism and Broadcasting workshop at Murray State Sept. 24.
Funded by a grant from the Kentucky College Access Network, the one-day workshop offered nine different programs in each of two sessions in the morning.
Partners in the grant were GEAR UP Kentucky of the Council on Postsecondary Education, GEAR UP & SOAR managed by the West Kentucky Educational Cooperative, the MSU Office of Regional Stewardship and Outreach and the MSU Department of Journalism and Mass Communications.
The grant also sponsored a special project for five schools in the region—Paducah Tilghman, Mayfield, Fulton City, Fulton County and Hopkinsville. Student journalists in these schools will work to produce media-based promotions to call students' attention to the importance of planning for post-secondary education to prepare for a career.
The workshop topics included sports reporting and sports columns, mining story ideas, digital photography tips, reporting the bad news, advertising sales, designing and selling yearbooks, what's new in yearbooks, feature and magazine writing, newspaper design, fine-tuning your skills as an interviewer, using social media for sources and story ideas, advertising design, careers in mass communications, resources for scholastic media and producing programs for television.
The yearbook sessions were conducted by representatives of Jostens and Herff Jones. The other sessions were conducted by JMC faculty/staff: Joe Hedges, Gross Magee, David Green, Dr. Bob Lochte, Dr. Allen White, Dr. Bob McGaughey, Bob Valentine, Elizabeth Thomas, Robin Orvino, Gill Welsch, Dr. John Dillon, Jeremy McKeel and Dr. Debbie Owens.
Chip Hutcheson, president of the Kentucky Press Association and the publisher of the twice-weekly Times-Leader in Princeton and The Eagle Post in Oak Grove, was the luncheon speaker.
A journalism graduate of the University of Kentucky, Hutcheson noted that newspapers "are not dead" and offer good job opportunities. He added that even if journalism students do not go into journalism jobs, the communications skills they develop will be valuable in other jobs.
After the luncheon, the students and advisers had the opportunity to tour the student media facilities—MSU TV-11 and The Murray State News.
The Eagles' Eye of Graves County High School won 12 first-place awards to take the title of best overall newspaper. Graves County's winners were Rachel Fortner for best illustrations and graphics, Rachel Smith and Logan Chavis for best photography, Chavis for best sports page design, Smith for best page one design and overall newspaper design, Connie Moreland for best graphics, for best editorial/opinion page, for best news writing and for best page one and overall design, Rachel Clifford for best feature design, Bridget Wilkerson for best advertising design and Adam Carrico for best sports writing.
Brian Parks of Mayfield High School won first place for the best editorial cartoon while Weston Loyd and Emilee Ayers of Paducah Tilghman tied for first in the news writing competition.
Devon Wilson of Paducah Tilghman won first place for best review and Alex Sherfield of Mayfield High School had the best column.
In the yearbook contest, Crittenden County High School won the best overall award, followed by Kenwood High School (Clarksville, Tenn.) and St. Mary High School.
Katie Pruitt, Rafael Sylvester and Mary Johnson of Kenwood took first place for the best feature while Chambry Callicott, Sami Mobley and Blair Beachum of Union City High School shared first place for best sports feature.
Sarah Hendley of St. Mary High School had the best school life section, Torey Baker of Crittenden County High School the best sports section and Branika Hardin and Ginelle Bess of Fulton County the best cover design.
In the video competition, Murray High School won three of the four first-place awards. Mariel Jackson, Abby Murdock and Blake Graham won best sports package. The Murray High student staff won the best news/feature program and Murdock had the best news/feature package.
Emily Neal, Amanda Gill and Emilee Steinbeck of Ballard Memorial High School won first place for the best digital short.
Workshop co-directors, David Green and Orville Herndon, said that next year's high school workshop is scheduled for Sept. 23 at Murray State's Curris Center.
For more information, contact the JMC office at 270-809-2387.