JEA Dallas, Texas
Yearbook staff spent time in Dallas for a journalism convention.
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“I captured this photo the second I walked out onto the sky terrace at our hotel. I was amazed at the beauty of the view, especially since this was taken only three levels up,” senior Daniel Willbrand said.
The publications staff recently spent a long weekend in Dallas, Texas for the 2017 JEA/NSPA Fall Journalism Convention.
Flying into Dallas on Wednesday, Nov. 15, the staff checked into their hotel rooms and went out to dinner together.
“It was fun eating together almost every night, we really got to bond as a staff,” junior Bryce Clemons said. “I probably gained 15 pounds from all of the food I ate.”
The next day, everyone went to their classes and workshops.
Seniors Jake Conrad, Faith Jackson, and Hannah Somheil attended a workshop called, “Team Storytelling”, where they were taught how to blend a story, photo, and overall design. After taking notes for two hours, the class was divided into groups and walked downtown to find something to tell a story about.
“My favorite part about the class was the time where we got to go around the city. It was great to have time to absorb and learn about the culture and history and Dallas,” Conrad said.
“I liked how we had a chance to go find our story within the downtown city of Dallas, we didn’t know what we would find,” Jackson said.
Friday, staff members attended workshops of their picking. There were various classes to choose from, all throughout the day.
“The Fast and Furious QuickCourse was interesting because I got to see other schools’ newspaper and magazine layouts and get inspiration from them. The critiques were helpful because I got specific advice for how we can improve our newspaper’s layout,” junior Sydney Taylor said.
The last day, staff members had free time to roam the hotel or go to tourist attractions.
The convention was held at the Hyatt Regnecy Hotel, which holds the famous Reunion Tower. Some staff members chose to go up the tower on their day of free time.
“It was absolutely beautiful, we got to sit at the top and watch a 360 degree view of the city. It was such a breathtaking experience,” senior Daniel Willbrand said.
