Over 40 students on The Communicator staff gathered in Bus 273 at 7:30 in the morning to head to the annual Fall Michigan Interscholastic Press Association (MIPA) Conference in Lansing. The students were greeted with matching t-shirts and donuts before hitting the road.
The conference was held on Oct. 22 and journalism students from all over Michigan had the opportunity to attend various informational sessions over the course of the day. The sessions covered topics such as photography, portfolio building, editing, leadership skills and more.
CHS senior Nina Tinney took the opportunity to attend sessions that aligned with her job as a feature editor. Tinney was looking to improve both her own writing and her ability to help others with theirs.
“My favorite session I went to today was called Writing Something They’ll Actually Read,” Tinney said. “The speaker said that ‘good writing is noticing’ and that really stuck with me. It made me think about how the little details can really take a piece from good to great.”
The students went to three sessions and then took a break for lunch. Many scattered across downtown Lansing to check out the different local restaurants. CHS junior Emily Walker and a few of her friends chose to go to the restaurant, Kin Thai.
“I got the drunken noodles,” Walker said. “It was really nice to be able to leave the conference and explore the city some more. My group also got bubble tea which was really fun.”
After lunch, students took part in one last session. Learning lots of new skills, students can take them back to improve their own writing as well as the Communicator publication.
CHS senior Bee Whalen, who plans to be a film major in college, used the opportunity to explore the sessions centered around TV broadcasting and video production.
“I loved getting to learn more about what hasn’t really been taught as much at Community,” Whalen said. “It was great to hear more about TV and broadcasting especially since we don’t really cover that or talk much about it in our everyday classes.”
After an amazing three sessions and a nice lunch, the students once again piled into Bus 273. While settling in, advisor Tracy Anderson presented Spartan Awards that both the website and print magazine received. The bus erupted in cheers as they pulled out of Lansing.
“I think receiving the awards capped off a great day of learning about journalism,” CHS senior Kyrie Garwood said. “It also instilled just how great of a journalism program we have at Community.”
