After a 7 a.m. meet time, a relatively short flight, and 3,000 miles later, a group of La Salle students as well as Journalism and English teacher Mr. Miles Kane landed in Boston for the Fall National High School Journalism Convention. These six Journalism and Yearbook students attended the semi-annual convention along with nearly 4,500 other students and advisers from across the country.

The theme of the convention was “Spotlight on Journalism,” with the keynote speakers being three current and former members of The Boston Globe’s Spotlight team, which is the newspaper’s investigative journalism unit. Some of the main points the reporters made included the importance of looking for systemic, societal issues to report about, as well as finding local stories to look deeper into.

For the first two days, including the day of arrival, they tried to see as much of Boston as possible. Among the places visited were the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Freedom Trail, and the Paul Revere House. 

The convention began Thursday, Nov. 2 with a trade show and then the keynote speakers’ presentation, which consisted of a Q and A with the team members. The large array of available sessions started the next morning, which students and advisers chose and attended based on their personal goals. Each session was led by someone with experience in a specific journalism or yearbook field, whether that be teaching at a high school or working for a professional paper. 

“Seeing what other high school students are doing all over the country has given me a new perspective and motivation on what our journalism program, including yearbook, should be doing to get better,” senior and yearbook Editor in Chief Bella Erickson said. The students each gained valuable insight into different aspects of journalism, such as leadership in the newsroom and elements to enhance the publication.

Friday also began with sessions, one of which included a critique of The Falconer website. After the last round of sessions on Saturday were over, the group visited the Mary Baker Eddy Library. This included a tour of the Mapparium, a walk-in globe made of stained glass built in 1935. 

After the activity-filled week, they flew back across the country Saturday night and landed at PDX at 11:15 p.m., concluding the trip.

Members of this trip, Kayah Cieslak and Finn Christensen-McElroy put together a vlog to create an immersive experience showcasing the travels of the group.