My journalism students are dedicated to their craft, and they love the opportunity to develop their skills at our state convention each year. Over 800 students from across the state gather in Rogers each spring to learn from the best in scholastic journalism, and we plan to be there as well.
My students live in a rural, impoverished part of Arkansas.
We have a very small staff of dedicated journalists, and they are excited about the opportunity to travel to the other side of the state to compete and learn alongside other student media programs.
Even though our school is small, my students have consistently won awards for their publications on the local, state and national level. Each year we look forward to the ASPA convention not only for the contests but also because of the great educational opportunities it holds for my staff.
My Project
The ASPA convention is always the highlight of our year, but it is a considerable expense for my staff. We get no assistance from our district for anything, so funding for trips is completely on us. Because we are located six hours from the convention, it is a must that we spend two nights at the convention hotel, thus adding to our expense.
At the convention, students attend competitions and go to workshop sessions on a variety of scholastic journalism related topics. In addition, they have the opportunity to meet with representatives from several colleges with strong journalism programs. It is a valuable experience each year.
This year's convention will be celebrating 20 years of the Arkansas Student Publications Act, so it will no doubt feature key players in the development of that vital piece of legislation that ensures First Amendment rights for student journalists.
My students get the thrill of winning awards alongside students at schools that are much larger and better funded than we are.
They always leave ASPA energized to make plans for the next school year due to the great sessions they attend at the convention. This convention is by far the most rewarding group activity that we get to attend each year, and any help we can get with the expenses involved will be deeply appreciated.
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