High school students from across the state of Iowa crowded into the Iowa Memorial Union on Thursday, October 26th, eager for the day ahead of them. The Iowa High School Press Association holds a conference for journalism and yearbook students twice a year; Pleasant Valley High School students who participate in the Spartan Shield (online and print) and the yearbook were in attendance.
Scott Winter, the author of “Nebrasketball,” kicked off the conference with hysterical and relatable anecdotes. He ended his speech with a personal message to the student journalists: “Write about the moments that matter”.
With Winter’s words resonating through their heads, about 20 students piled into a room to write an article under the pressure of a 40 minute time frame. At the end of the conference, the winners of the contest would be announced. The Spartans were honored with two of their students placing in the top three. Anna Banerjee placed third, and Vivek Joshi won the contest. Joshi says he felt nervous going into it and didn’t think his article was good enough to win. “It was an honor to be recognized in front of some of Iowa’s best high school journalists.”
Banerjee agreed with Joshi, saying, “There was a lot of pressure to finish the article in time. But it was definitely a really cool opportunity in which I’m glad I was able to participate.”
Students spent the remainder of the day in breakout sessions, such as: Never Boring, Duck Tape and High Funkadelity and Sports Stories that Matter. Maureen Dyer, journalism and publications teacher at PV, speaks highly of the conference and the many takeaways students receive from it. “Students get more info than I can provide them alone by attending this conference. It also gives students the opportunity to attend breakout sessions that interest them the most,” Dyer emphasized.
Around noon, students are given time for lunch, allowing them opportunities to explore the campus and see friends attending the university. After this break, there was one more session, and finally, the closing ceremonies and awards.
Winning many awards for the past school year’s yearbook and the student newspaper, The Spartan Shield, Pleasant Valley High School was well represented. Many of the members on those teams won separate awards for their work on the pages in the yearbook.
Guest speaker Winter and the rest of the staff at the conference provided the students with plenty of new information. Joshi says, “Scott Winter’s message about capturing the moments that matter most was inspirational.” The student journalists from PV had a lot to take away from this conference that will help them make a difference in the writing and in their community.
