Students use summer break to get ahead at ‘Storytelling: The Complete Package’

While most high schoolers were resting during their summer breaks, 19 student journalists joined us in Minneapolis for an intensive four-day storytelling workshop: “Storytelling: The Complete Package.”

Hailing from Minnesota, California, Arizona, Kansas and more, these students experienced a one-of-a-kind weekend. And on Sunday, they had something to show for their hard work: a multimedia story package to be considered for publication by the Star Tribune.

The agenda for the weekend was packed. After a keynote speech from Star Tribune Managing Editor Suki Dardarian, students learned from advisers and professionals. In teams, they took to the streets to create a “Humans of Minneapolis” piece, and they toured the Star Tribune. The main event was a storytelling opportunity provided by the Minnesota Twins, which included a behind-the-scenes tour of the stadium and interviews with major off-the-field players—including the organist, the scoreboard programmers, vendors and ushers.

Determined to finish their stories, students spent extra time on Saturday refining their multimedia content. They designed infographics, wrote and rewrote articles, edited photos, crafted headlines—and received one-on-one guidance from Star Tribune professionals. You can view their work on this website.

“I was really impressed with their first drafts,” Star Tribune reporter Beatrice Dupuy wrote after working with the teams. “They gave me great start to work with. Most of their stories already had great details and descriptions of their sources. They were also willing to learn and make changes. And they really captured the spirit of Target Field. I felt like I learned so much from them too. I’m already thinking about the ways I can change my writing after this.”

NSPA would like to thank the many individuals who made this workshop a possibility.

“A big shoutout to SNO for setting up our website, the Minneapolis Star Tribune for newsroom tour and reporter/mentors provided, the Minnesota Twins stadium staff for the great access for interviews and Dr. Al Tims and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication for the facilities and hospitality,” NSPA interim executive director Laura Widmer said. “It was a great experience.”

The skills these students learned during their summer breaks are sure to propel them into successful years at their publications.

Here are some candid moments from the NSPA Summer Workshop. (Photos by Cary Conover).