14 students packed their suitcases, loaded onto a bus and prepared for a four-hour drive to Nashville, TN.

From Nov. 13-16, a group of students represented the journalism program for the national journalism convention at the Gaylord Opryland Resort. The convention was packed with sessions, competitions and 5,300 participants from across the U.S. In fact, representatives from outside the country also attended.

“For the sessions, I went to a lot about designing and diversifying our newspaper. I learned that we should include more freshmen in our publication. I also learned that we may need to step it up and shift into more magazine style designs as that is what is trendy right now,” senior Melanie Le, newspaper opinion editor, said.

Each student chose four to five sessions to attend each day. These sessions were tailored to the student’s individual skills and interests. Being the nation’s largest gathering of journalists, teachers and advisers, the convention offered more than 300 sessions.

“We learned about a lot of interesting things, such as AI and how you can utilize that in your newspaper in a positive manner. We also learned a lot about how to establish yourself on social media and make sure everyone knows when we go to press and are distributing. It is also a great way for people to get to know your staff and establish that knowledge within your school, so that way people will know more about all the things we do, not just with the newspaper, but also broadcast and yearbook, too,” junior Kate Boyce, newspaper entertainment editor, said.

After their sessions each day, students enjoyed Nashville. Dinner, shopping and entertainment added to the ambiance of Nashville and brought the students representing three staffs — broadcast, newspaper and yearbook — closer together.

“On the trip we really had the opportunity to spend time together as a staff and grow closer and build connections with each other. I got to learn and know a lot more about people, especially about people I do not usually talk to. I also got to meet a lot of people from other states and from Indiana who also are a part of a journalism publication, so that was really cool to experience,” senior Kara Ennis, newspaper editor-in-chief, said.

On Friday, showcased their skills in competitions involving 1,668 total participants from across the country.

“My favorite experience was competing because I really like to display my skills under pressure. I know that I am prepared to compete because it is what we practice every day in class. I am really thankful for how Mrs. Green has taught us because it allows us to compete with other people without having to worry too much about it,” Ennis said.

Competition was fierce, whether it involved photography skills, design skills or writing skills.

“I was really nervous because there were around 75 other students in the room with me and obviously you feel like out of all these 800 total kids that are competing, how am I going to get picked to win? But, I did end up winning something for my editorial writing, and I thought that was really good,” Boyce said.

GHS award winners in this competition included:
Kate Boyce, honorable mention in editorial writing
Kara Ennis – excellent award in newswriting
Alex Connor – honorable mention in sports writing
Adrianna Crabtree – honorable mention in yearbook sports copy & captions
Selena Flores – excellent in yearbook academics copy & captions
Kyli Turbeville – honorable mention in sports broadcasting