Riding trolleys, swimming in pools, and walking down the streets of downtown San Francisco. Nothing gets better than that. The Tigard High School publications team arrived at PDX on Thursday April 25 at 4:30 a.m. and flew to California for the JEA/ NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Convention. It was an early fight, but after some coffee the 13 publications students were buzzing with excitement as the flight took off.
“It was really early and we were all tired but once we got there everyone was wide awake and ready to explore the town,” said junior Sana Mohammed.
When the publications team arrived in San Francisco, they rolled their suitcases and duffel bags over to the Holiday Inn, in which they would be staying for the next four days. After they checked their bags they changed out of their comfy airplane clothes and trekked on an adventure to explore the city. The first location that was on top of everyone’s list was In-N-Out, where the class ordered burgers and fries. Afterward they split up; some visited Pier 39 and Chinatown but the other group walked back to the hotel for check in.
“The first day was really exciting because we were just getting out of our comfort zone,” said sophomore Lauren Shrader. “It was nice to be out of the school environment for a while.”
After a day of sightseeing, publications walked down to the Marriott Marquis, where the convention was held. They were instructed to pick four classes that day. Students attended classes such as: 5 Steps to Revision, Photoshop tricks made easy, and Multi- platform sports reporting. There was also an opportunity to look at award winning yearbooks and websites. After everyone finished their classes, they were then allowed to go back to the hotel and hangout. Saturday was also very similar, except they only had to go to three classes; when the team finished they went back to the hotel to swim and tan by the pool. Sunday was the last day of the trip, however the flight back to Portland wasn’t until 7:30 p.m.. This allowed everyone to enjoy a full afternoon of shopping.
“We all went to a lot of classes and learned new stuff,” said sophomore Katelyn Nottingham. “I had a so much fun and met new people. Overall, it was a great trip.”