Taking the staff to a conference can be a very rewarding part of the year. Planning a trip takes quite a bit of work, but in the long run it is one of the most memorable experiences many of the young journalists on staff may participate in.
For a handout created by the Journalism Education Association on Why Conventions Matter click here.
Determine what you want the students to take away from the trip. Students are able to learn from session speakers, hear first hand critiques of their publications, speak to professional journalists, share with other staffs, and even compete in contests. Before you arrive go online and look at the session guide and make a plan. Here is a sample form you can use to have your students plan out there weekend.
Once you have the plan in place for the trip’s objective, then you can estimate how many students you can accommodate, how expensive the trip might be, and how students will be able to sign-up and pay for the trip.
It is a good rule of thumb to plan on groups of four students, because that is usually how many you can fit into a room. So groups of four, eight, and twelve are easiest to budget and travel with. Keep in mind also that groups of four need to be either all female or all male.
Throughout the year there are many trips to choose from; the national conventions from the following three organizations are usually during two times of the year.
Fall JEA/NSPA National Convention – November (1st or 2nd Week) – Various Cities
Spring Columbia Scholastic Press Association – March (3rd week) – New York City
Spring JEA/NSPA National Convention – April (2nd or 3rd week) – Various Cities
Spring Student Broadcast Network Convention – April (1st week) – Various Cities
Broadcast Staff Manual For The Scholastic Press 