Yearbook and newspaper staffers earned individual awards during the Journalism Education Association/National Scholastic Press Association Fall National High School Journalism Convention Nov. 16-19 at the Hyatt Regency Dallas. Approximately 5,000 journalism students and advisers attended the convention with more than 1,500 competing in on-site writing, broadcast, illustration and photography contests.

Juniors Josie Brown, John Flatt and Erin Sheffield each won honorable mention ratings for Yearbook Sports Copy/Caption Writing, Editorial Cartooning and News Writing, respectively. Senior Macy Mitchell competed in Academic Yearbook Copy/Captions, where she received an excellent rating. Seniors Jillian Howell and Braden Lefevre earned two of the 103 superior ratings awarded by JEA. Howell won in Yearbook Club Copy/Captions while Lefevre won in Review Writing.

“I didn’t think I had done that well, so after they called all of the honorable mentions, I thought my shot was over,” Howell said. “When they called my name, it was shock and excitement all at once. I couldn’t believe it.”

Journalism teacher and publications adviser Laura Smith and the staff members also attended breakout sessions during the convention.

“This was an incredibly well-done convention,” Smith said. “We went non-stop the entire time we were there.”

For the Review Writing contest, Lefevre critiqued food selections in the Wolfgang Puck Five Sixty, located at the top of Reunion Tower. 

“Once I got back to the room in which I was to write, it was dead quiet,” Lefevre said. “Everyone was focused on doing the best work they could, and somehow, I came out on the top. I’m very grateful for the guidance I received and for the situation.”

Smith said the community of journalism teachers is very supportive.

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“We want to see all of our kids succeed,” Smith said. “We can genuinely cheer for others when they win awards. I treasure those relationships with other advisers, because we are sometimes the only people who truly understand what our jobs entail. It’s great to have a chance to get caught up with everyone.”

Howell said before the trip, she was looking forward to being around the others staffers and being at a journalism convention, something she had never done before.

“I was getting to be around people who have the same passion I do for writing,” Howell said. “It was a really good way to bond with people on my staff I feel like I didn’t get to bond with in other ways.”