This week, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications is hosting the Nebraska High School Press Association Summer Journalism Workshop.
Nearly 90 students from 20 high schools across Nebraska are involved in seven different classes for the three-day workshop, where they honed their skills as journalists to bring back to their high school publications.
“It’s a great opportunity for the students to get a jumpstart on their publications before school starts,” Co-Director Erin Konecky said. “It’s also an opportunity for students and advisors to build connections with people from other schools, which I think is my favorite part.”
The classes include editorial leadership, video, yearbook production, newspaper production, journalistic writing and photography taught by CoJMC photojournalism professor Bruce Thorson and alumnus Brian Lehmann.
The students spend more than eight hours a day working on projects in teams and learning new techniques and skills that they can introduce in their newsrooms when school starts.
“This year, I’m really learning a lot about how to run a staff,” said Jacob McNeill of Elkhorn South High School, who’s in the editorial leadership class. “It’s everything you’re never really taught, like the logistics of getting a newspaper out and how to get your staff to bond as a team, and the teacher has such creative ideas.”
E.J. Rehn of Elkhorn High School, who’s in the video class, said he really likes the hands-on experiences he’s getting.
“You get to jump in and start working on projects right away, which is really cool,” he said.
All the participants are staying at Abel and Sandoz residence halls on campus, which is also where they eat their meals.
“I can totally see myself coming to college here now,” said Kennedy Czarnick of North Platte High School, who’s in the yearbook class. “I can reflect on myself and say ‘Maybe I can do this. Maybe I can leave home and do this.’ It makes it a great experience.”
The workshop concludes today with an awards ceremony at 4 p.m., where the students will be honored for the work they’ve completed this week.
