Dec. 10, 2020

Hello, scholastic journalism family —

Journalism Education Association and National Scholastic Press Association plan to deliver the standard of excellence you have come to expect this spring. While the 2021 Spring JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention won’t be an in-person event, plans are in motion to provide in-depth educational workshops, contests and critiques in March and April. 

The spring convention model already provides learning opportunities with more depth, whereas the fall convention, given the size differentiation, provides a wider breadth of knowledge. We aim to do the same this spring and take a deep dive into core journalism skills, as well as how to implement trends, tips, innovations and ideas in next year’s plans.

We learned a great deal about convention planning for remote audiences this year. We also understand that the needs of our community are diverse. To help support as many educators and students as possible, relevance and choice have become high priorities. Presenting an à la carte solution, complete with options for the various teaching modalities, means we can meet the specific needs of advisers and students everywhere. 

What we’re offering as options for students and advisers:

• Workshop-style sessions with optimal instructor-to-student ratio for one-on-one guidance. 
• School-wide access to on-demand presentations from industry experts.

Participation also gives you this access:

• Eligibility to register for NSPA Best of Show entries.
• Eligibility to register for JEA National Student Media Contests entries.
• Eligibility to register for NSPA critiques and consultations. 

Following an energizing fall NHSJC, we are hard at work developing plans for the next event. 

We will seek instructors with specific skill sets to lead workshops for interested students, therefore we won’t be calling for session proposals as we have in the past. 

Registration will open in February with more detailed information to arrive in early January to help you prepare. We’re looking forward to the next chapter in our long history as we all write our story together.

Until then, have a wonderful holiday season, enjoy the break and stay safe. 

Sincerely,
Kelly Glasscock, CJE, JEA executive director
Laura Widmer, NSPA executive director