Coming from 600 schools and representing all 50 states and eight different countries, the National High School Journalism Convention brought more than 3,500 high school journalists, advisers, and speakers to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from Nov. 7 to Nov. 10. 

This fall, six members of The La Salle Falconer staff, along with Journalism adviser Mr. Miles Kane, journeyed almost 3,000 miles to the East Coast for the convention.

“It’s about getting close to people, whether that be the people on your staff or the people you’re interviewing,” senior Gwen Brown said.

In addition to providing educational experiences for journalism students and teachers, the convention also recognizes prestigious accomplishments in scholastic journalism with the Pacemaker, Individual, and Best of Show Awards. On the afternoon of Saturday, Nov. 9, during the National Scholastic Press Association awards ceremony, seniors Rowan Bienapfl and Rita Tran placed first in the nation for Digital Story of The Year in the blog category with their piece, “Let’s Talk, Period,” and junior Kayah Cieslak placed fourth in the nation in the  Opinion Story of The Year category with her piece, “Pity, Alienation, and The Urge To Be the Same: The Never Ending Plight of a Physical Disability.” 

After departing from the Portland International Airport early in the morning on Wednesday, Nov. 6, and briefly stopping at the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia for a layover, The Falconer staff along with Mr. Kane ventured to the convention hotel, which took place in the heart of downtown Philadelphia, surrounded by historical sites such as Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

The following day, the group ventured to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, walked up the famous “Rocky Steps” and explored the broad collection of artworks available.

Then, they headed toward the convention space and turned to Reading Terminal Market — Philadelphia’s oldest public market — to grab a bite to eat, browse the open businesses, and get a sense of the local culture.

The convention was prefaced with a keynote address by producer and filmmaker Matthew O. Henderson from Life Stories, a nonprofit media organization that creates documentaries hoping to spur change and inspiration. Working in the film and television industry for over 15 years, Henderson spoke about his career journey, the importance of emotion in production, and building trust with interviewees through his creations to accurately reflect the human experience.

Students, advisers, and others then had the opportunity to attend their choice of the hundreds of sessions scheduled from the morning to the afternoon on Friday and Saturday. These sessions were led by journalists, professors, teachers, and fellow student journalists.

“I feel like there wasn’t a single session that I didn’t gain some sort of insight from,” junior Clover Martin said. “For every single one of them, I learned something applicable to what we do for the Falconer.”

The Falconer also received an on-site critique, gaining a professional perspective on the site’s appearance, logistics, and potential opportunities for improvement.

Here is a look into the tourist aspects of the trip, which was made possible with a vlog created by attendees of the trip juniors Finn Christensen-McElroy, Kayah Cieslak, and Harper Coleman.