accents issue 2

12
Southern Interscholastic Press Association • USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications • December 2012 • Issue 2 Got talent? SIPA’s Got Talent in the midst of field trip forms and permission slips, hotel registrations and charter bus contracts, SIPA’s Got Talent is my stress relief in the planning process of getting ready to make the 12- hour trek to South Carolina from Mississippi. When it comes to the talent show, I really don’t have much to do with the planning. The students are the ones doing all the work. I get to be the cheerleader. “Great job!” I say over and over. Or, “Where did you learn how to do that?” I ask. Occasionally I have to say, “Do you think that is safe? I don’t want anyone to break their neck!” So far, no one has. My staff loves the Disney musical, “Newsies.” So, it was a no-brainer when it came to a “talent” which would involve most of the members who were making the trip to SIPA for them to choose to choreograph a song from “Newsies.” Yearbook staff member Eloise Tyner, who has some theatre and dance background, has headed up the project each year. She invites the staff to her home to practice on weekends. During the week, they practice in the journalism room, flinging the desks aside and playing the movie on the big screen. They dance and sing with the volume turned up loud, often bringing strange looks from administrators passing in the hall. “It’s for a competition,” the staff explains, and that seems to satisfy the principal and assistant principals and all the teachers who shoot questioning glances our way. On the trip to Columbia, the staff gets even more attention as they move their talent show to the parking lots of restaurants and truck stops, practicing their moves and jumps and flips. By the time they arrive at the hotel, they usually have the routine down pretty well. “Good job!” I say again. What I don’t tell them is that while the talent show is tons of fun, it’s really more than just that. The newspaper staff, the yearbook staff, the online staff and the broadcast staff bond over the dance routine. They laugh in the midst of crazy deadlines. They problem solve and collaborate. They talk. It’s pretty cool. In a way, SIPA’s Got Talent is a lot like real life. And that’s what we’re trying to accomplish, after all. – Cynthia Ferguson, adviser of The Charger, The Charger Online and Flashback Sometimes I do really stupid things. Whatever possessed me to think that dancing around to music dressed like newsboys from the Progressive Era in front of complete strangers at a conference that I had never been to would be a good idea, I will never know. To make a long story short, two years ago, and then again last year, I decided to organize a dance for the SIPA Talent Show. In order to do this, I knew I would need help from all the staffs, not just from the yearbook staff which I was a member of, and even from the freshmen who were in Introduction to Journalism. This presented a problem. You see, I was at the bottom of the proverbial food chain - a first timer on yearbook staff. I must have been out of my mind. Lucky for me, journalism kids tend to have personality, plenty to say, and a dash of overconfidence - the perfect recipe for people ridiculous enough to be my dancers. We decided to dance to a medley from Newsies,” a musical about newspaper boys on strike in New York City. The sign up list for talent show participants on the dry erase board at the front of the classroom filled up with a myriad of staffers’ names in unique handwritings and colors. Some names belonged to my best friends and some belonged to complete strangers. Soon the raids on dress-up boxes and the dark forgotten corners of closets began in order to piece together time period costumes. I began to pour over the “Newsies” DVD, attempting to replicate the choreography. Once I adapted the dance into something a bunch of teenagers with little to no training could feasibly handle, it was time to start rehearsals. Everyone involved had a schedule tighter than Justin Bieber’s skinny jeans, but we all made time to rehearse. I remember inviting all the dancers to my house, pushing my yellow couch back against the table and making the boys move the heavy wooden coffee table so we had space for everyone to practice. Everyone picked up the dance with all its hops, kicks, and punches. We practiced and danced and looked pretty silly, but there was something right about it. There was something so natural about dancing with these people, some of whom I never knew a few weeks before. Some faces were “bookies” (on Yearbook staff), some “newsies” (on Newspaper staff), and some were “freshies” (freshmen). We all meshed, though. With our common goal, we were not just bookies and newsies, we were just people goofing off. Laughing about the gangly boys’ hops, groaning about having to hit repeat on the iPod again because we missed the cue, or just talking while the sun sank lower in the sky - it was a second nature. After rehearsal was finished, the familiarity translated into deeper discussions about religion and other personal subjects. By the time we got on the bus, the groundwork for long lasting friendships had been laid. At SIPA, we dressed in our costumes and practiced our flips and kicks and lifts, then wandered through the ice cream eaters the night of the talent show. I bet we looked downright silly, and maybe slightly insane. But when I look back at pictures of our performance, I don’t see the outlandish hats or the quirky heel clicks. I see faces and smiles of people that I truly know and truly love, thanks to the time we spent working on the talent show together. I guess it wasn’t such a stupid idea after all. – Eloise Tyner, Oxford (Miss.) HS senior ‘By the time we got on the bus, the groundwork for long lasting friendships had been laid’ A student’s perspective Planning for the talent show: A teacher’s perspective limitless V ‘SIPA’s Got Talent is a lot like real life’ Photo by TJ Maynes At the 2012 SIPA Convention, Oxford HS students practice their talent show routine. They came in second place in SIPA’s Got Talent. Go to the convention website, http://sipa.sc.edu, to download the SIPA’s Got Talent registration form and to watch the promo video! You don’t want to miss it!

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Second issue of SIPA's newsletter for 2012-2013 school year

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Page 1: Accents Issue 2

Southern Interscholastic Press Association • USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications • December 2012 • Issue 2

Got talent? SIPA’s Got Talent

in the midst of field trip forms and permission slips, hotel registrations and charter bus contracts, SIPA’s Got Talent is my stress relief

in the planning process of getting ready to make the 12-hour trek to South Carolina from Mississippi.

When it comes to the talent show, I really don’t have much to do with the planning. The students are the ones doing all the work. I get to be the cheerleader. “Great job!” I say over and over. Or, “Where did you learn how to do that?” I ask. Occasionally I have to say, “Do you think that is safe? I don’t want anyone to break their neck!” So far, no one has.

My staff loves the Disney musical, “Newsies.” So, it was a no-brainer when it came to a “talent” which would involve most of the members who were making the trip to SIPA for them to choose to choreograph a song from “Newsies.”

Yearbook staff member Eloise Tyner, who has some theatre and dance background, has headed up the project each year. She invites the staff to her home to practice on weekends.

During the week, they practice in the journalism room, flinging the desks aside and playing the movie on the big screen. They dance and sing with the volume turned up loud, often bringing strange looks from administrators passing in the hall.

“It’s for a competition,” the staff explains, and that seems to satisfy the principal and assistant principals and all the teachers who shoot questioning glances our way.

On the trip to Columbia, the staff gets even more attention as they move their talent show to the parking lots of restaurants and truck stops, practicing their moves and jumps and flips. By the time they arrive at the hotel, they usually have the routine down pretty well.

“Good job!” I say again. What I don’t tell them is that while the talent show is tons of fun, it’s really more than just that. The newspaper staff, the yearbook staff, the online staff and the broadcast staff bond over the dance routine. They laugh in the midst of crazy deadlines. They problem solve and collaborate. They talk. It’s pretty cool.

In a way, SIPA’s Got Talent is a lot like real life. And that’s what we’re trying to accomplish, after all.

– Cynthia Ferguson, adviser of The Charger, The Charger Online and Flashback

Sometimes I do really stupid things. Whatever possessed me to think that

dancing around to music dressed like newsboys from the Progressive Era in front of complete strangers at a conference that I had never been to would be a good idea, I will never know. To make a long story short, two years ago, and then again last year, I decided to organize a dance for the SIPA Talent Show.

In order to do this, I knew I would need help from all the staffs, not just from the yearbook staff which I was a member of, and even from the freshmen who were in Introduction to Journalism.

This presented a problem. You see, I was at the bottom of the proverbial food chain - a first timer on yearbook staff. I must have been out of my mind. Lucky for me, journalism kids tend to have personality, plenty to say, and a dash of overconfidence - the perfect recipe for people ridiculous enough to be my dancers.

We decided to dance to a medley from “Newsies,” a musical about newspaper boys on strike in New York City. The sign up list for talent show participants on the dry erase board at the front of the classroom filled up with a myriad of staffers’ names in unique handwritings and colors.

Some names belonged to my best friends and some belonged to complete strangers. Soon the raids on dress-up boxes and the dark forgotten corners of closets began in order to piece together time period costumes.

I began to pour over the “Newsies” DVD, attempting to replicate the choreography. Once I adapted the dance into something a bunch of teenagers with little to no training could feasibly handle, it was time to start rehearsals.

Everyone involved had a schedule tighter

than Justin Bieber’s skinny jeans, but we all made time to rehearse. I remember inviting all the dancers to my house, pushing my yellow couch back against the table and making the boys move the heavy wooden coffee table so

we had space for everyone to practice. Everyone picked up the dance with all its hops, kicks, and punches.

We practiced and danced and looked pretty silly, but there was something right about it. There was something so natural about dancing with these people, some of whom I

never knew a few weeks before. Some faces were “bookies” (on Yearbook

staff), some “newsies” (on Newspaper staff), and some were “freshies” (freshmen). We all meshed, though. With our common goal, we were not just bookies and newsies, we were just people goofing off. Laughing about the gangly boys’ hops, groaning about having to hit repeat on the iPod again because we missed the cue, or just talking while the sun sank lower in the sky - it was a second nature.

After rehearsal was finished, the familiarity translated into deeper discussions about religion and other personal subjects. By the time we got on the bus, the groundwork for long lasting friendships had been laid.

At SIPA, we dressed in our costumes and practiced our flips and kicks and lifts, then wandered through the ice cream eaters the night of the talent show. I bet we looked downright silly, and maybe slightly insane.

But when I look back at pictures of our performance, I don’t see the outlandish hats or the quirky heel clicks. I see faces and smiles of people that I truly know and truly love, thanks to the time we spent working on the talent show together.

I guess it wasn’t such a stupid idea after all.

– Eloise Tyner, Oxford (Miss.) HS senior

‘By the time we got on the bus, the groundwork for long lasting friendships had been laid’

A student’s perspective Planning for the talent show:

A teacher’s perspective

limitless

V

‘SIPA’s Got Talent is a lot like real life’

Photo by TJ Maynes

At the 2012 SIPA Convention, Oxford HS students practice their talent show routine. They came in second place in SIPA’s Got Talent.

Go to the convention website, http://sipa.sc.edu, to download the SIPA’s Got Talent registration form and to watch the promo

video! You don’t want to miss it!

Page 2: Accents Issue 2

Accents Issue 2December 20122

Executive Committee: Chair: Amy Medlock-Greene, Dutch Fork HS, S.C. • Vice chair: Coni Grebel, Lee County HS, Ga. • Secretary: Stella McCombs, Stratford HS, S.C. Past chair: Mary Inglis, Wellington HS, Fla. • President: Chloe Hargrave, Clarke Central HS, Ga. • Vice president: Collyn Taylor, Dutch Fork HS, S.C.

Member-at-large: Anna Roberts, Lee County HS, Ga.

Appointed Members: Phillip Caston, J.L. Mann HS, S.C. • Meredith Cummings, ASPA, Ala. • Joe Dennis, GSPA, Ga. • Cynthia Ferguson, Oxford HS, Miss. Beth Fitts, MSPA, Miss. • Brenda Gorsuch, West Henderson HS, N.C. • Monica Hill, NCSMA, N.C. • Valerie Kibler, Harrisonburg HS, Va. Mark Murray, Arlington ISD, Texas • Susan Newell, Northridge HS, Ala. • Jake Palenske, Raytheon, Texas David Ragsdale, Clarke Central HS, Ga. • Chris Waugaman, Prince George HS, Va. • Bradley Wilson, Midwestern State University, Texas

Endowment Committee: Co-Chairs: Beth Dickey, S.C., and Martha Rothwell, N.C. • Marilyn Chapman, S.C. • Sylvia Daughtry-Brown, Ga. • Jenna Eckel, S.C. • Chris Floore, Ga. Melanie Huynh-Duc, N.C. • Mary Inglis, Fla. • Kay Phillips, N.C. • Jenny Proctor, S.C. • Jane Speidel, Fla.

DirectorCarol Pardun

Executive DirectorKaren Flowers

Scholastic Press ManagerLeslie Dennis

Accents DesignerLeslie Dennis

Office assistantsKelsey D’AmicoLauren HarperRebecca Piner

Blaine Parrish Turner

December 2012, Issue 2

Accents Southern Interscholastic Press Association • University of South Carolina • School of Journalism and Mass Communications • Columbia, SC 29208

Phone: 803.777.6284 • Fax: 803.777.4103 • Email: [email protected] • Website: http://sipa.sc.edu • Facebook: Southern Interscholastic PressAssociation • Twitter: @SIPAatUSC

Ask and you shall receive

Advisers asked for more time to view and bid on silent auc-tion items, and the Endowment Committee listened.

The SILENT AUCTION part of the 2013 SIPA Endowment Auction will open immediately after the Advisers’ Awards Luncheon – to which all registered advisers and guest speak-ers are invited – and will close at 6:30 p.m. just before the banquet.

SIPA assistant Rebecca Piner, auction coordinator, will lead advisers and guests from the luncheon to the Palmetto Room where the auction is held. Here they will receive a paddle with a number to use when bidding both during the day (and the SILENT AUCTION) and later after the banquet in the LIVE AUCTION.

“We plan to have music and refreshments throughout the afternoon,” Leslie Dennis, scholastic press manager, said. “This room can also be a place to hang out, share ideas and make new friends.”

“Advisers can check on their bids between classes through-out the afternoon,” Martha Rothwell, SIPA Endowment Com-mittee co-chair, said, “and then they can show up minutes before closing time to make that final bid.”

Winners of the SILENT AUCTION will be notified as they enter the Palmetto Room after the banquet. (So they will know how much more they can spend!) Anyone who comes to the LIVE AUCTION without a paddle (with a number) will get one as they arrive.

Note this is a BIG change. The silent auction will be from approximately 1:30 until 7 p.m. Don’t worry if you are teach-ing or moderating one of the onsite contests. You will still have two hours after contests and classes end.

Beth Dickey, co-chair of the Endowment Committee, said, “I’m just back from another silent/live auction, and the proce-dure was exactly what we’re planning. People wandered into the silent auction area throughout the day and upped their bids when necessary. It worked.”

Dickey reminds advisers and guests to be sure to bring checks or cash with you.

“This year’s live auction should end long before the witch-ing hour,” auctioneer Mary Inglis, SIPA past chair and Welling-ton HS (Fla.) yearbook adviser, said. “Advisers will have more bonding time while they’re waiting for the student dance to end and before the final student room checks.”

The auction benefits the SIPA Endowment that now is on its way to a $200,000 goal. The Central Carolina Community Foundation manages the endowment. SIPA receives a grant each year from CCCF. This money is used to support conven-tion programming and the mentoring program.

At the deadline for Accents, here are some of the items we have received items for the silent auction:

• Two day passes to the Biltmore Estate• Four day passes to Mount Vernon• A “spicy & saucy” sauce basket• Picnic blanket• Coffee lovers tray • Decorative birdhouse• “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere” flag• Various hotel stays and restaurant gift cards

**Don’t forget to contribute to the auction! Bring a basket or item to the convention or send it to the office.**

– By the Endowment Committee

New procedures make silent auction easier, more fun

My first steps into the Columbia Marriott Hotel for the SIPA Convention in 2008 were awkward and

cautious. I was a freshman surrounded by people I didn’t know and in an unfamiliar place.

This year, as a senior, I will walk out confident and proud of my personal accomplishments as well as the accomplishments of my staffs. But I will also leave with a hint of sadness that this convention will be the last one I’ll attend – at least as a high school journalist.

This year, I am the student president of the Executive Committee for SIPA. While the other officers and I were planning the theme for the 2013 convention, all I could think about was one thing: I want my final year to be unforgettable. I hope our “limitless” theme will make it just that – unforgettable.

The SIPA Convention and Competition, the first weekend in March each year, is first and foremost a place for students and

their advisers to expand their knowledge of journalism, but beyond that, this is a convention where we come together as student journalists to make memories that will last. I am filled with excitement to continue the memories I have made and share them with the other people at this convention.

Our theme, Media Revolution: The Limit Does Not Exist, has “limitless” interpretations. As journalists, don’t let your fears limit you. You aren’t limited to certain stories. You aren’t limited to what is assumed to be impossible.

As I look back to my freshman year, I realize I avoided connecting with others and because of that I wasn’t able to make the realization that at SIPA, we all share a common interest. We’re all at the convention because we’re all journalists, and we are all embracing our love of working with media at our schools.

So I encourage all of you to find the motivation at SIPA 2013 to push those limits that you may have. Of course, stay appropriate and be mindful of the legitimate limits there might be, but be confident, and make it a memorable weekend.

Chloe Hargrave

SIPA Student President

‘I want my final year to be unforgettable’

Name of person you want to honor or remember by making a contribution to the SIPA Endowment Fund:_____________________________________________________________________

Please check: Honor Memorial

Brief reason you are honoring/remembering this person (for our SIPA

history):

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Your name: _________________________________________________________

Please make check payable to SIPA Endowment Fund and mail to: Karen Flowers Southern Interscholastic Press Association School of Journalism and Mass Communications University of South Carolina Columbia, SC 29208

SIPA Endowment Fund Memorial/Honor

Page 3: Accents Issue 2

AccentsIssue 2December 2012 3

Start talking about the convention

NOW!!!

Go to Facebook and

post on Southern

Interscholastic PressAssociation

Follow us on Twitter

@SIPAatUSCand

@SIPAStudent-Officersor Tweet #limitless

#SIPA2013

Get all the information at sipa.sc.edu/

con.html

Social networking has become an integral part of our everyday lives. The “real” world and our virtual ones have become almost as equally significant as we go throughout each day. Who can refrain from posting a picture

on Facebook from a great weekend or sending a tweet at lunch?

Although we’ve all grown accustomed to using these forms of social media, there are a few things, specifically with Twitter, that some of us have come to overlook. While our parents have taught us manners and delivered ample home-training in our youth, now that we’re online, it seems that we need to have a bit of a reminder when it comes to the DO’s and DON’T’s of Twitter.

Listed are the Top Five Rules of Twitter Etiquette that, as journalists especially, we should all keep in mind when implementing those 140 characters.

5. Privacy is key –Like Facebook, we all have some “friends” or “followers” we don’t know on Twitter. Though it may be tempting to tweet your whereabouts multiple times throughout the day (“Lunch at the Russell House and then class at Callcott afterwards!”), it’s not the best idea to broadcast to everyone where you are and where you’re going next. Twitter is used by hundreds of millions of people, and not all of them are necessarily going to be friendly followers. While you may think those Internet creeps only go after people on shows like “CSI” and “Criminal Minds,” it does happen in real life as well. If you do wish to continue to disseminate this information, set your account to ‘private’ so that you have to accept the requests of all of your followers. But still, even your buddies may not be interested in your every move, so just keep it to a minimum.

4. Mind your p’s and q’s – While I know that Twitter is not the classroom, it is still important to make sure that you at least attempt to use proper spelling and grammar. The fact that tweets must be 140 characters or less somewhat inhibits our ability always to do so, but your efforts are greatly appreciated. The differences between ‘your’ and ‘you’re,’ and ‘there,’ ‘their’ and ‘they’re’ are probably the most common errors (come on, we’ve been doing this since elementary school, people) but other simple spelling errors are also very common. Just a simple proofread for typos is all it takes and then you are free to tweet.

3. @WhatsInAName – Your Twitter name (or @ name) is the first thing that people notice about you on the site. It’s always nice to have a clever name if you are witty enough to think of one, but keep in mind that everyone will see it. It may be somewhat common knowledge and obvious to make an appropriate Twitter name, but I have seen some shockers in my time on the site. Realize that yes, people will judge a follower by his/her name, so remember to keep it clean and respectable. If you don’t want your grandmother to find out what your name is, (not that you want Grandma following you on Twitter, anyway) then you may want to change it to something a little more on the safe and simple side.

2. Keep negative comments offline – Not to say that you should be using negative comments offline either, but it really must be mentioned that you should never harass, bully or threaten anyone via Twitter. And yes, subtweeting does

count as well. Social networking as a whole has taken on a whole new form of abuse in the form of cyberbullying, making it so easy to post a tweet talking negatively about the girl in your English class or even one of your fellow journalists on your schools’ staff. With next year’s SIPA convention approaching, it also must be mentioned that there should be

absolutely no instances of abuse via Twitter. We realize it’s a competition, but please refrain from doing so. In the words of your favorite elementary school teacher: “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say it at all.”

1. #ThinkBeforeYouTweet – This is the number one etiquette rule of Twitter for a reason. You may think that Twitter is just a social networking site you like to dedicate some (or a lot) of your time to, but it can potentially be much more detrimental than you realize. Everything posted on the Internet can be seen by anyone: teachers, administrators, managers, future bosses, Grandma (again), and even heads of scholarships or potential internships. You can be a perfectly pristine person in person, but if someone sees a really bad, ignorant or abusive tweet on your page, it can have serious repercussions. As mentioned before, there is a setting that allows you to protect your tweets, disallowing people to see them unless you accept them, but this should not be used as an excuse to post nonsense. (Ever heard of a screenshot?) You could also offend some of your followers, and no one likes to lose followers, right? Please post responsibly.

Lauren HarperScholastic Press Office Assistant

Assistant gives tips on responsible, safe social media practices Conscious of your social conscience:

Another idea is being backpack journalists. They have to take a still photo, some video and audio

and write a lead.

– Judy Babb, Friesens

Tips on helping students learn and

share what they learn while making sure they attend

sessions:

Have your students use social media to Facebook, Tweet, — or whatever — salient points

during their sessions. This can benefit everyone at the convention as well as those those who can’t be there, but want to follow at home. (Advisers might also appreciate the timestamps on most forms of social

media.)

BTW — This is also an excellent time to have a discussion with your staff about responsible use of social media. Being a troll and referring to others in derogatory terms is not acceptable social (or journalistic) behavior.

– Tracy Anne Sena, Convent of the Sacred Heartjournalism adviser (Calif.)

Instead of just getting my signature on a piece of paper, how about asking the student to share one thing they learned in

the session with the rest of the staff? If more than one of your staff members attended the session, then each one has to share a different point? The entire staff benefits from the student coming to see

that speaker and at the same time you aren’t keeping the speaker from packing up and getting out of the way of the incoming speaker. What if you had them tweet this while in the session (if the speaker is okay with it)? Or put together a Google Doc of great tips from a convention and share that with everyone that couldn’t attend?

You can get the students to learn more by getting them to share something they got out of the session to prove that they were there, rather than just showing you a signature on a piece of paper

that could be mine, or not.– Mark Murray, Arlington Independent School District (Texas)

Page 4: Accents Issue 2

Accents Issue 2December 20124

25 years under Hazelwood

Photo courtesy of Amy Medlock-Greene, Dutch Fork HS (S.C.)

At the “One Generation Under Hazelwood: A 25-Year Retrospective on Student First Amendment Rights,” SIPA Chair Amy Medlock-Greene and SIPA Scholastic Press Manager Leslie Dennis meet Cathy Kuhlmeier Frey and Leanne Tippett Mosby. The symposium was held November 8-9 at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

as a high school journalism student, I learned the three major court cases – Tinker, Hazelwood and Bethel. I knew

why we as student journalists should know them, how they affected us, the major players in the cases and how each one interacted with the other.

But what did I do with all that information as a high school journalist? I regurgitated it on a test, for a quiz bowl, on a Journalist-of-the-Year application.

I lay in wait for an administrator to take away my First Amendment rights so I could pull out my Tinker card and fight the Hazelwood standard in my state.

Those cases never really had an affect on me as a journalist. Sure we ran some controversial stories but we were never censored. And at the beginning of my senior year, a new principal was hired and asked to see the paper before it was printed. I stood my ground and had a civil conversation with him about why I believe that would be the wrong action for him to take. Our paper was never prior reviewed.

But that was the extent to which I encountered any of those cases. However, working in the Scholastic Press Office as an undergraduate

assistant and scholastic press manager for almost ten years, I have seen publications, whether they knew it or not, fall under Hazelwood rule. Administrators flex their authority and stories go untold or issues are put into closets or pages are redacted.

When Frank LoMonte, director of the Student Press Law Center, asked Karen Flowers if we wanted to attend a symposium on the 25th anniversary on the Hazelwood case, I jumped at the chance. Even though it was mid-semester and a week before the NSPA/JEA convention in San Antonio, Texas, I could not wait for the experience.

With SIPA Chair and Dutch Fork HS (S.C.) adviser, Amy Medlock-Greene, as my road trip buddy, I was ready for the four-plus hour drive to Chapel Hill, N.C.

On the drive, Amy and I reflected on our experiences with censorship, swapped war stories and considered the future of journalism in the classroom. Our conversation in the car set the stage for what the

symposium would offer. Day one of “Hazelwood: A 25-Year Retrospective” began with a panel on

the student voice and the impact of censorship on learning. Hearing first-hand accounts of recent publication censorship proved Hazelwood’s impact and pervasiveness 25 years later.

But the highlight of the day and the entire symposium for me was the working lunch during which Leanne Tippett Mosby and Cathy Kuhlmeier Frey told the story of the Hazelwood case. You can learn the information, the data and the court information about the case but hearing the details from those involved with it is a completely different experience.

Seeing the two soft-spoken middle age women talk about themselves as high school students who wanted to write stories about divorce and teenage pregnancy, two issues they thought were prevalent and affected the student body, was surreal. These were women I learned about, thought about only as high school journalists, and here they were in front of me. It was the equivalent of meeting a figure from history class or an author from English class.

What was most interesting was learning what I had not in class – Cathy was

not present when the Supreme Court decision came down. She didn’t even know the verdict was being read that day. She was working in a hospital and received phone calls while on duty.

After the panel, Amy and I waited to get our picture made with Cathy and Leanne. Strangely enough, Amy said, the day of Cathy and Leanne’s panel was the day Amy’s students were preparing for their debate of the Tinker, Hazelwood and Bethel cases.

The next day of the symposium was equally enlightening, with a legal approach to looking at Hazelwood’s impact on schools and students. All the panelists brought a fresh way to approaching Hazelwood in the classroom.

Throughout the symposium what became clear was that despite its age, Hazelwood is alive, well and not going anywhere. The Hazelwood standard has been applied in most cases in the 25 years since the ruling and is being taught in most administrator courses as the only option.

So what we as scholastic journalism advisers and professionals need to do is to not only educate ourselves but others as well. Stay informed and aware of the cases going on today so that you don’t end up as the next Hazelwood. Reach out to other advisers who may be new or inexperienced and to administrators or administrators in training and show them the benefits of a free and open press.

A free and open press does not start with the courts. It starts with us. We have to inform not only others of the news but ourselves and we have to inform others of why we are relevant. So do that. That’s what Hazelwood should teach us after 25 years.

Leslie DennisScholastic Press Manager

Hazelwood symposium reflects on case then, now

A free and open press does not start with the courts. It starts with us. ”

Convention Award Opportunitiesdeadline: Feb. 8

Joseph W. Shoquist Freedom of the Press AwardSIPA’s Freedom of the Press Award was initiated in 1989

in recognition of an adviser’s use of her First Amendment rights on the high school level. The first award was pre-

sented to Susan Earley, adviser of the Powder Horn Press at Pinellas Park High School in Largo, Fla. The award,

named in honor of a former dean of the School of Journal-ism, will be given periodically when someone makes a

strong stand for scholastic journalism.

Dr. Kay Phillips Administrator of the Year AwardSIPA’s first Principal of the Year Award was presented at the 1988 convention. Recipients are nominated by students or

advisers and must nurture the principles of scholastic journalism. The winner should attend the convention.

Elizabeth B. Dickey Distinguished Service AwardsThese awards recognize advisers, teachers and friends of scholastic journalism who have contributed extraor-

dinary amounts of time, talent and energy to SIPA. Recipients usually have at least seven years’ experi-ence advising a school publication; influence beyond the walls of the school in state, regional and national press associations; award-winning publications; and

convention leadership.

Page 5: Accents Issue 2

AccentsIssue 2December 2012 5

Limitless possibilities for fun at the convention!Scholarship

Opportunities

NEW CAMPAIGN RULES!!!

Convention campaigning rules include the following: 1. Only one person from each school may campaign for any office. No nomination will be accepted without adviser’s or principal’s signature.

**NEW** 2. Candidates may have an exhibit table for a meet and greet in the hotel atrium. Let the SIPA office know if you want a table and if you will be shipping materials for the exhibit table (email [email protected]).

**NEW** 3. Candidates may have trifold displays and videos without sound along with any other campaign materials at exhibit tables.

4. Candidates may distribute flyers but not post them on hotel walls.

5. Campaign posters are not permitted.

6. Only presidential candidates will give speeches at the opening assembly Friday night. Speeches should not be longer than four minutes.

7. Voting will take place Saturday, March 2, from 9-10 p.m. at the SIPA registration desk in the atrium. Voting delegates: Each publication staff that has paid the SIPA membership fee and has one or more delegates attending the convention may select one voting delegate.

8. Any infraction of these rules should be reported to a member of the Executive

Committee.

Student Officer Duties

Candidates for the offices of president, vice president and member-at-large for the 2013-2014 school year must be juniors, and they should attend both the 2013 and 2014 conventions. Students running for any office must have previously attended a state, regional and/or national scholastic journalism conference and/or convention. Elections will be held during the convention March 1-3, 2013. Officers must attend the fall Executive Board meeting in September. During this meeting student officers are responsible for planning the convention theme, logo, student entertainment and T-shirt design. Officers will also write for Accents, the SIPA newsletter. SIPA’s president presides at the annual convention and serves on the Executive Committee, Advisory Council and SIPA Endowment Committee. He or she may attend any policy-making sessions during the year. The vice president takes over the president’s responsibilities if the president is unable to meet them. In addition, the vice president serves on both the Executive Committee and Advisory Council. The member-at-large works with other student officers, contributes to SIPA publications and serves on both the Executive Committee and Advisory Council.

Download the student officer nomination forms at http://sipa.sc.edu/con.html. Forms are due Feb. 8.

Students applying for any SIPA scholarship must be on a publication that is a member of SIPA or be a student member of SIPA and must attend the 2013 SIPA Convention. Applications are due Feb. 8.

USC scholarship requirements apply. Student must meet two of the three requirements (check with USC for those requirement numbers): Minimum

(1) SAT or ACT (2) GPA (3) Class Rank

Students can apply for:

Elizabeth B. Dickey SIPA Scholarship – student must attend USC College of Mass Communications and Information Studies

C.E. (Chuck) Savedge Scholarship – student must be a yearbook staff member and must attend USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications

J. Grady Locklear Scholarship – student must be a writer or a staff member of a literary magazine and must attend USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications SIPA Regional Scholarship – student must attend a school of journalism at an accredited college or university in the SIPA region and must plan a career in journalism/mass communications. Note: Because this scholarship is funded by the SIPA Endowment, USC requirements don’t apply.

Saturday night dance!

Photo and meme by Kelsey D’Amico, SIPA Assistant

After all your hard

work, let go with

500 of your closest friends.

Apply to be a student officer, help plan the 2014 convention

Page 6: Accents Issue 2

Accents Issue 2December 20126

No more poster board! Just carry a disk to the convention.

Carry-In Contest: New submission rules, categories add to contest’s ease, diversity

Carry-in contest submission rules changeRemember how you had to buy poster board, print out labels and entries, glue or tape entries to the poster board and then carry the mountain of entries of carry-in entries for the contest to the registration desk? Well this year you won’t have to do that! We’ve made it a little easier on you and on us.

Broadcast entries will be uploaded a week before the convention – February 22 – to VIMEO. Design and photograph entries along with a composite entry list will be saved as PDFs and burned on a CD or DVD. Staffs will hand in that disk at the registration desk. The instructions on how to save and submit entries are below. Be sure to read and follow all instructions.

MAKE SURE YOU PLAN AHEAD! If you have questions about the following procedures, ask ahead of time. Call or email Leslie! That’s what she is here for and doesn’t mind answering questions ahead of time.

**NEW** ENTRY PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION: These new submission guidelines are to save you money, time, space and a little bit of sanity!

Broadcast entries –You will upload your entries a week before the convention – February 22 – to VIMEO. Below are step-by-step instructions. **Make sure your entries are web-friendly size before uploading to VIMEO**• Create a vimeo account for your school’s publication at vimeo.com – Ex: FMHS BuzzTV• Follow the SIPA account at vimeo.com/sipaatusc• Click the ‘upload’ option at the top of the page• Click ‘choose a video to upload’• Select the file that you would like to upload• Click ‘upload selected videos’• Complete the Basic Info for your video and title it as follows: Category_SchoolName_ YourName

Ex: BR_FortMillHS_KarenLeslie• Email a composite list of your entries to [email protected] or [email protected]. This composite list can be downloaded from the convention website or you can create your own list of entrants (example of form on page 7). On the list include your school name, publication name and the name of the student responsible for each entry. Save this list as a WORD DOC or a PDF.

All entries EXCEPT broadcast and online – • Save and burn to ONE CD or DVD. You will turn this disk in at the registration desk when you register. • Save as PDFs ONLY. You may save photographs as JPGs or TIFFs. • Name files as follows: CATEGORY NAME_SCHOOL INITIALS_ADVISER’S INITIALS. Example: if you enter the Newspaper Front Page and you are with Carolina Forest HS, the file should be saved as NF_CFHS_MA.PDF• On the disk you hand in, include a composite list of all entries (saved as COMPOSITE LIST). This composite list can be downloaded from the convention website or you can create your own list of entrants (example of form on page 7). On the list include your school name, publication name and the name of the student responsible for each entry. Save this list as a WORD DOC or a PDF.

*Make sure you test the disk and files on a computer other than the one you saved on to make sure the files open before bringing it to the convention.

Online entries –• Download the ONLINE ENTRY FORM, which is a PDF on which you can write, at http://sipa.sc.edu/carryin.html• Fill in the name(s) of the student(s) responsible for the entry and the URL where the entry can be found. MAKE SURE TO PUT THE COMPLETE URL.• Test the URL so that the judges will not have any trouble when they click on the PDF.• Save this entry form on the same disk as your other carry-in entries.

*Test the PDF before you submit the disk at the convention. If you have any issues with the PDF, please contact Leslie beforehand.*

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:• All entries must be from the 2012-2013 school year.• Publications must be SIPA members.• Adviser & one paying student must be present at the convention.• Entries must be turned in by 10 p.m. Friday.Entries will be disqualified if they do not meet the established criteria.You can pre-register the number of carry-in entries you are going to bring to the convention when you register online for the conven-tion OR you can enter entries on the spot. If you pre-register 10 entries but decide later you want to enter 13 at the convention, you are more than welcome to enter the extra entries when you arrive.

Page 7: Accents Issue 2

AccentsIssue 2December 2012 7

New submission rules, categories add to contest’s ease, diversityNew online categories offer staffs opportunity to compete, participate

COMPUTER GRAPHICS: (OCG)• Only original, student work may be submitted; all art must be generated on a computer.• Judges will look at the graphic’s ability to deliver its message in a clean, stimulating manner using an appropriate computer graphics program.

DIGITAL STORYTELLING: (ODS) – Maximum length=Three (3) MINUTES

• Digital storytelling uses computer-based tools to tell stories. As with traditional storytelling, digital stories should focus on a specific topic and be told from a particular point of view. Digital stories mix images, music, narrative and voice together to provide in-depth of characters, situations, experiences and insights. Topics can range from the personal to historical events, from exploring life in one’s community to the search for life in other corners of the universe, and literally, everything in between.• Content: Do pictures, text, audio, etc. tell a story fully and help reader understand the theme and subject of the story? Are action verbs used? Is word choice careful and concise?• Pictures: Are the pictures/graphics original, or are they used with permission? Are the pictures/graphics of high quality and bring about an emotional response in the viewer? Do the pictures of people focus on emotion? Are the graphics clear and help the viewer understand the theme of the photo story?• Audio: Is music used royalty free? Is the audio clear and consistent – not high in one place and low in another? • Story Idea/Theme: Is story’s purpose clear? Is theme clear, creative and interesting?

FEATURES: (OF)• Includes multi-media components. • Longer stories are broken up with bullet-point lists of specific data and section headlines.• Story provides hyperlinks to other relevant content that adds to the story. • Headline, captions/cutlines and teasers are accurate and engaging.• Features entertain or inform, or both.• Features have human interest and bring an issue or a person to life.• Feature stories are full of quotes from multiple sources.• Leads are engaging, informative and concise.• Features have relevance to the readers.• Some types of features are

1. personality2. historical – commemorating dates of important events, like

the anniversary of a memorable event at your school, in the community, state, nation or world

3. adventure – unusual or exciting experiences4. how-to – accomplish a task or skill5. occupation or hobby6. behind-the-scenes7. participatory (reporter experiences an event or situation)

NEWS: (ON)• A news story must be relevant to readers – be about events or issues affecting their lives.• Stories have news value: timeliness, proximity, prominence, significance, conflict and human interest.• Because online stories should be updated regularly, news should be written in inverted pyramid with a summary lead – one sentence of 25-30 words answering who, what, when and where – and the remaining information should be arranged in descending order of importance so readers get the most important information first.• Direct and indirect quotes should demonstrate interviewing skills.• Information should be accurate and balanced.• Breaking news reports are updated as information comes in. A variety of media can be included: photos, graphics, text, audio, video and interactive elements

OPINION PIECES: (OOP)May include staff editorials – unbylined because they are the voice of the staff – personal columns, reviews or blogs that adhere to the following journalistic standards:

• utilizes facts and figures thus showing research, not just personal thought,• shows the writer’s voice, • uses clear, concrete details that show the reader what the writer has experienced or knows through research, • has a universal idea/appeal, • uses appropriate word choice for the tone of the piece, • makes a point,• makes the reader think.

Also may include photos, graphics, text, audio, video and interactive elements. PHOTOGRAPHY: (OP)

• Any student-produced single photograph published online may be submitted for this category.• Photographers should remember photo compositional elements such as rule of thirds, contrast, dominance, texture and overall impact of each print.• Photos will be judged on technical quality as well as aesthetic value.

PHOTO GALLERY: (OPG)• Gallery demonstrates photos are edited and only the best images are posted.• Minimum of 10 images. (Could be 5 if we want to give them more chances.)• Photos have captions/cutlines and photo credits.• Navigation through gallery allows reader to jump to a specific image or view them as slideshow.

MULTIMEDIA SLIDESHOW: (MSS)• Slideshow demonstrates photo editing and careful selection of images.• Minimum of 10 images. • Captions/cutlines and photo credits on all images.• Navigation through slideshow allows reader to jump to a specific image or view them as slideshow.• Sound accompanies – and matches – the images.

PODCAST: (PC)The intent of the podcast should be clearly labeled for the listener.This audio file can be

• an independent feature, • contain additional material for a story, • provide background information, or • editorialize about specific events.

Content is original & clear message or purpose. Common production elements provide continuity, professional delivery and presentation are appropriate for the context & evidence of creativity in the script or production design.Production/Audio Quality is clear; the voiceover does not compete with ambient sound or music and is appropriate for the subject matter. The volume is consistent.

SPORTS: (OS)• A sports story must have relevance to your readers.• Stories will have elements of timeliness, proximity, prominence, significance, conflict and human interest.• Direct and indirect quotes should demonstrate interviewing skills.• Information should be accurate and balanced.• Breaking sports reports are updated as information comes in. A variety of media – which may include photos, graphics, text, audio, video and interactive elements – are used to report breaking news events.

VIDEO: (OV) – Maximum length=2:30 MINUTES• Videos should support the telling of a news, sports or feature story; they should not be a stand-alone story.• Must be original, shot by students, and should explain or tell a news, feature or sports story. • Judges will look at video’s originality, creativity and relevance to the subject at hand.

Page 8: Accents Issue 2

Accents Issue 2December 20128

Broadcast Individual Anchor Contest (ENTRY FEE: $10 per person)

Each school may enter up to two students. The student will write a script from copy provided then the student will read the script on camera. Dress appropriately.

Broadcast Team Onsite Production (TOP) (ENTRY FEE: $20 per team)

Each school may have a team of two students. Competing teams will receive the contest topic Friday night and will conduct interviews and shoot footage from the opening until the timed portion of the contest begins. They will finalize their scripts, edit footage and complete feature package from 1:30-4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Teams must furnish their own equipment to produce a three-minute story in the form of Quicktime or Windows Media movie burned to a CD. If this is not possible, entry may be submitted on DVDs.

Convention On-the-Spot Contests

Newspaper & Yearbook Team Onsite Production (TOP) (ENTRY FEE: $25 per team)

These contests are open to yearbook and newspaper students. Students will interview, write, edit and design pages Saturday from 1:30-4:30 p.m. Work will be judged Saturday night by a panel of journalism experts. Contest participants will be accepted on a first-come basis through online registration.

Each school may register one newspaper team and/or one yearbook team of four students. Teams will need laptops with Word and Acrobat Reader. Teams will be provided a Mac Computer with InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator for designing their entry.

Contest materials will be given to teams at registration on Friday. Entries must be turned in as a PDF. Only images and background information provided by SIPA may be used. Monitors will check as students enter the room to ensure spreads are blank, with only folios on the page. Failure to comply with guidelines will result in immediate disqualification.

Review Writing Contest (ENTRY FEE: $10 per person)

Participants will learn review writing techniques and write a review on a topic announced at the convention Saturday from 2-4:30 p.m.

New this year – Grammar Challenge! Check out the last issue of Accents for more information

Quiz Bowl (ENTRY FEE: $20 per team)

Based on the high school version of the Academic Quiz Bowl, the SIPA contest stresses information about journalism and current events only. Schools may enter two four-person teams when they register online for the convention. Teams from online, newspaper, yearbook, broadcast or literary magazine staffs will take written tests Friday night and the top eight teams will compete in lightning rounds about current events, history and general knowledge of journalistic information, journalism terms, questions about laws pertaining to the media, and journalism style on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Study guides are available online.

Photo by T.J. Maynes

How do you prepare your students for the broadcast contests?“We put out a daily show and they have news packages due every two weeks so that is plenty of preparation by the time March comes.

The seniors have been in the program for three years and the juniors for two years.”– Stella McCombs, Stratford HS (S.C.) broadcast adviser

Photo by T.J. Maynes

Photo by Brian Cole, George Walton Academy (Ga.)

Why should students sign up for onsite competitions?“Participation hones the students’ skills and shows them what they need to be competitive.

It makes them better students in all their classes and makes them better journalists because it gives them experience.”

– Mary Inglis, Wellington HS (Fla.) yearbook adviser

Why do your students compete in Quiz Bowl?“Quiz Bowl has become a tradition on our staff. We have two teams compete. Our editor-in-chief and managing editor each select a

crew of new staffers with whom to compete. The opportunity for bonding and learning can’t be beat.”– David Ragsdale, Clarke Central HS (Ga.) newsmagazine and literary magazine adviser

Page 9: Accents Issue 2

AccentsIssue 2December 2012 9

PeNnY WaRStHe pOint:to win honor for your state

tHe rUleS:

pennies = pointsother change and dollar bills = negative pointsso put the pennies in your state’s bottle and the other coin$ and bill$ in the other states’ bottle

tHe rEasoN:

to raise money for the SIPA Endowment - AKA the scholarship, speaker, awards bank account! So it is kind of important.

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

PoiNt sYstEmPenny = 1 point

Nickel = -5 points

Dime = -10 points

Quarter = -25 points

1 Dollar = -100 points

5 Dollars = -500 points

10 Dollars = -1,000 points

20 Dollars = -2,000 points

Page 10: Accents Issue 2

Accents Issue 2December 201210

‘If not for that journalism class, I probably wouldn’t have registered to vote’I graduated from high school during an election

year. That was also when I took my first journalism class – with none other than Karen Flowers as my teacher. In that class I learned how to interview, research, and write succinctly and coherently. I also learned about labor unions, muckrakers, and the power of the press. I learned the 45 words of the First Amendment. And I learned more about

the American political process in journalism than I did in my American government class.

If not for that journalism class, I probably wouldn’t have registered to vote. I certainly wouldn’t have expressed an interest in American politics or the issues of the day. Journalism taught me how to take the “big issues” and apply them at the local – and, more importantly, personal level.

When I registered to vote that year, I took my mom with me so she could register, too. When I stood in line for hours on election day, I stood with confidence. I knew I had researched the issues and the candidates’ stances on them. I knew what to expect when I stepped into that booth. And I knew these things because of journalism.

I am often dismayed by our students’ apathy when it comes to politics. So many of them either think the political process doesn’t apply to them because they aren’t old enough to vote or are turned off by the pervasive negativity of political campaigns. Still more take a “why bother” approach – convinced their vote won’t or doesn’t matter.

As a journalism teacher, I see it as my professional responsibility to instill a thorough knowledge of American politics in each of my students. I can only hope doing so will ignite in them the same spark Karen Flowers ignited in me two decades ago.

The census bureau’s analysis of the 2008 presidential election contains a wealth of eye-opening statistics. According to the report, 2008 was “the second straight presidential election where young citizens significantly increased their voting rates. Over the last two presidential elections, young citizens have increased their voting rate by a total of 12 percent, compared to 4 percent for 25- to 44-year-olds and 1 percent for 45- to 64-year-olds.”1

Education also plays a key role in whether or not someone will vote. The census report indicates those with a bachelor’s degree or higher are eight times as likely to vote compared to those with less than a high school education.2 But for those who may not attend college, if the spark is not ignited in high school then the chance of one becoming politically involved dwindles significantly.

The census bureau also compiled statistics regarding the reasons people didn’t register to vote in the 2008 election. The number one reason? Forty-six percent of respondents said they didn’t register because they were “not interested in the election/ not involved in politics.” The next highest group (14.7 percent) said they “did not meet registration deadlines.”3

So it becomes up to us – as citizens, as teachers, as proponents of journalism – to educate our students about the political process and to help them understand the importance of their involvement in it. While it is certainly not our job to tell our students what to think, the sentry function of journalism says it IS our job to tell them what to think about. From the local school board elections to state offices to the highest office in the land, students need to understand their role in our democracy and how best to fulfill that role. Together we can help them reach that understanding.

1 – http://www.census.gov/prod/2010pubs/p20-562.pdf, page 5 2 – http://www.census.gov/prod/2010pubs/p20-562.pdf, page 13 3 – http://www.census.gov/prod/2010pubs/p20-562.pdf, page 14

Amy Medlock-Greene

SIPA Chair

When it comes to politics, let’s face it – teenagers and young adults are generally less involved and have a lower turnout rate as an age group. While many high school and college

students may take the more apathetic route when it comes to our nation’s elections and government in general, there is still an active portion that takes initiative and involves itself in this area.

As this year’s Democratic National Convention took place in Charlotte, North Carolina, media coverage was at an all-time high as politicians, celebrities and, of course, the President himself flocked to the city for the convention’s events. Reporters flooded the Time Warner Cable Arena as the events took place. While it was the older faces of journalists that dominated the scene, sprinkled among these were the younger, teenage faces of a local high school.

Just outside of Charlotte in the suburban city of Fort Mill, South Carolina is Fort Mill High School. It was students of the school’s esteemed television production class that were given the opportunity of a lifetime to attend the convention. Selected from a national pool of high school broadcasts, “The Buzz” students were chosen to cover the convention from a students’ perspective for PBS Student Reporting Labs. Seniors Jillian Willard, Victoria Richardson, Ryan Morrison and Colin Quinn of “The Buzz,” along with adviser Karin McKemey made the trip to uptown Charlotte that day in August with cameras, microphones and tripods in hand, ready to tackle their first big event as journalists.

Although they were not given specific instructions as to what they needed to film or

report on throughout the day, the students were assigned to report from the “Leaders of the 21st Century” breakfast that morning with Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff of “PBS NewsHour.” Given the students’ great experience thus far as high school journalists covering stories around the school and city, they were still unsure of what they would be faced with that day with their older, more practiced counterparts.

“We had no idea what we were doing whatsoever when we showed up there,” said Quinn in an interview. “PBS gave us no heads up or what to expect and what they wanted us to do. But really we were there more for a learning experience than anything else. We were there to take in everything,

instead of just doing exactly what the news stations were told to do, which I thought was a lot better for us.”

The breakfast went smoothly, with Richardson even given the opportunity to ask Ifill a question. Though they were not provided press credentials to have full access to all of the action taking place that day, the quartet was still able to cover other things regarding the convention, conducting interviews with passersby outdoors and gathering B-roll of all that was going on.

Overall, the four seniors got a great deal of both experience and insight

out of the opportunity. “It was a great chance to get real up close to American politics and see not only the DNC itself, but also the festivities and general excitement going on around it,” said Morrison. Not only did the students, only one of which was eligible to vote in this year’s election, learn a great deal in the journalism aspect of the experience, but they also gained perspective when it came to politics itself.

“It had a huge impact on how it influenced what my views are. I really didn’t want to pay attention to politics prior to the convention because I felt like it didn’t really affect me or I couldn’t relate,” said

Richardson. “Attending the 21st century breakfast and listening to Gwen Ifill talk to these up-and-coming politicians about what they think actually made me realize, as a teenager, I can relate to the issues because it will affect my future.”

As students continue to realize the importance of involvement in politics and awareness of the nation’s status, they are more willing to participate in the elections as they come of age and are eligible to cast their vote. Issues arising in the nation become much more prominent in the everyday lives of this age group as they begin to concern themselves more with the repercussions of our nation’s leaders on their future.

“The government affects my generation’s future more than anyone’s,” said Willard. “The issues regarding college, and later finding a job when we graduate are a big concern to me and I think that it is important for these politicians to appeal to and encourage the youth to vote.”

While the DNC and the election have both come to a close, many students, these students in particular, have realized the importance of involving themselves in our nation’s elections. The experience The Buzz students gained that day was “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: the four of us were completely out of place, but at the same time we all knew we deserved to be there,” said Quinn. As high school journalists continue to gain experience with better opportunities offered to them than ever before, their role in the media world has greatly increased. Perhaps by the time the next election comes around many more will be able to participate, and show their more experienced counterparts exactly what they are capable of doing.

Lauren HarperScholastic Press Office Assistant

High school journalism students cover Democratic National Convention

Photo by Karin McKemey, Fort Mill HS broadcast adviser

Seniors Ryan Morrison and Colin Quinn do stand-up at the Democratic National Convention. Later they conducted interviews.

Photo by Karin McKemey, Fort Mill HS broadcast adviser

Seniors Jillian Willard prepares to film outside the arena. Fort Mill HS students spent one day covering the Democratic Nationl Conven-tion.

Page 11: Accents Issue 2

AccentsIssue 2December 2012 11

Senior superlatives seem to have become the bane of every yearbook adviser’s life.

I noticed over the last several years that questions about what to do about them

or complaints over the dramas they cause are ripe fodder for local and national journalism listserves. Even the students they are meant to honor no longer take them as seriously as they should, many ignoring them altogether because they realize they are nothing more than popularity votes, or they use them to bully other classmates as a means of a cruel joke.

I have advised a dozen yearbooks and have encountered all kinds of headaches over senior superlatives, from the diverse split vote for most attractive female where the winner was selected with a total of six votes (there were over 25 nominees from a class of 97), to parent complaints that their children were not nominated for particular categories and accusing the yearbook staff of favoritism and cronyism (nominations that year were all selected by the faculty).

One of my yearbook staffs last year had had enough and decided that the space normally dedicated to honoring two dozen members of the senior class could be better used by including memories of all the seniors. When word leaked out of this decision, a delegation of “popular” seniors came to see me to complain. I listened to their arguments that they deserved their right of passage and that they felt I (we) had ruined their senior year. All I did was listen. Then I told them I would see what we could do to make it up to them even though we were not going to change our minds

about taking superlatives out of the book. I will admit, at that time, they were not entirely satisfied. (I did warn the administration to be prepared for parent complaints, but the administration was in full support of our decision and they never did receive any complaints.)

I started brainstorming and reading up on posts on the JEA listserve about how others across the country had dealt with this situation. I came across one post that appealed, presented the idea to my staff and it started to grow. The idea was to hold an Oscar-style night for seniors. The senior class would still vote on the senior superlatives, but we expanded the categories so that more students could be recognized.

The seniors on the yearbook staff selected the categories and I reviewed them to be sure there were none that were derogatory or could potentially be defamatory. I then made sure that they were okay with the administration. We created the ballots and the senior class wrote in nominees for the categories (male and female for each). Once we got these in, the staff went through and tallied the nominations. The top three candidates in each category were placed on a final ballot. Wherever possible, we did try to be sure that the same person was not in the final three of too many categories.

The finalist ballots were sent out to seniors again, and they voted on their selections from the top three. These votes were tallied by me and one editor and kept secret until the night of the Panoramas. At this point we started to hear some buzzes of excitement from the senior class. I used this time as an opportunity for my students to show off their skills with InDesign and Photoshop. Each student had to create a promotional poster for The Panoramas (our version of the Oscars). We printed these on large poster paper and put them up around the school. We also had them write up

creative announcements, which were made each day.

We sold tickets to the event (top three senior nominees in each category were allowed in free). We asked teachers around the school to be presenters that evening, which was billed as semi-formal. The teachers were just as excited about being asked to present as the students were and several of them really got into their roles (the teacher presenting the awards for Class Clown dressed as a clown). My yearbook students wrote the script for the presenters and created a CD of music selections to be played as students came down to accept their awards. We bought trophies that looked like miniature versions of an Oscar. After winners accepted their awards, they were led off stage where they had their “official” picture made with our own newspaper paparazzi. These were published in the senior issue of the school paper.

To add to the night, we scheduled it the day before yearbooks were to be distributed to the school. We included a special senior video production at the end of the awards and we followed it with the premiere of the yearbook. The students who purchased tickets to the awards show were allowed to get their yearbook that night instead of waiting until the next day. This increased ticket sales a good bit.

It may seem like a lot of work, but it really was not and the seniors were satisfied. Many members of the “delegation” came to me afterwards and said how much fun they had and that the event was better than they thought it was going to be. Teachers told us they hoped it would become a tradition. It was a special night and a good solution to the problem of deleting the superlatives from the yearbook.

Graphic designed by Kaycie Blackwell, 2012 Chapman HS (S.C.) graduate

Veteran adviser offers alternative to getting rid of senior superlatives, still appeasing students

Amy GoodwinCamden HS (S.C.)

newspaper adviser

Page 12: Accents Issue 2

Southern Interscholastic Press AssociationUniversity of South CarolinaSchool of Journalism and Mass CommunicationsColumbia, SC 29208

We’ve got it. Come get it!

• Journalism: Digital, print, electronic• Design• Leadership• Photography• Team building• Writing

June 12-16, 2013www.sc.edu/cmcis/so/sipa/cjiColumbia, S.C.University of South CarolinaSchool of Journalism & Mass Comm.803.777.6284 • [email protected]

carol naournalism

institute a sipa summer workshop