Fall Regional Workshop Sept. 29 2017
hunstville
Lee High School
welcome
Meredith Cummings Director, Alabama Scholastic Press Association
9 a.m. Room 314
Keynote Chris Davis
Chris Davis joined WHNT News 19 in January 2016 as a Reporter/MMJ after working more than a year as a Producer and Assignment Editor at WTVF-TV, the CBS affiliate in Nashville, TN. While at NewsChannel 5, Chris was nominated for a Midsouth Regional Emmy for producing Winter Weather Team Coverage for the massive southern snow storm of 2015. Chris began at WTVF 7 months before he graduated, Magna Cum Laude, from Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in Mass Communications. During his college years, Chris was highly involved with MT10 News, the studentrun newsroom at MTSU, where he served as News Director, Reporter and Anchor.
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Key 10 a.m.
LM - Literary magazine NP - Newspaper MUL - Multimedia BR - Broadcast YB - Yearbook ALL - All media
Session 1
Photo photo!, led by Mary Inglis, Room 322 (ALL) Most good photos happen for a reason. Come see how to give your readers the very best that you can shoot looking through the camera lens.
Things I wish I knew when I was in high school broadcast, led by Andrea Matei, Room 348 (BR, MUL) It’s not easy focusing on the newscast all the time when you have other school work. We’ll talk about tips you can make your newsroom more organized, how to improve your anchoring and what you can do with social media. Smells like team spirit: building collaboration and communication within your lit mag staff, led by Alicia Clavell-McCall, Room 314 (LM) We’ll discuss how to build a collaborative spirit for your literary magazine staff. We’ll establish parameters for having crucial conversations, facilitate communication and decision-making and face some seriously fun teambuilding challenges! Extra! extra! read all about it!, led by Kate Risk, Room 341 (NP, MUL, YB, BR) What to write: we’ll look at different school newspapers from all over Alabama to see what other schools out there are doing. We’ll also learn the Rule of Eight to judge news value and find what makes a story worth writing.
11 a.m.
Session 2
Caption that!, led by Mary Inglis, Room 322 (NP, MUL, YB) Should you state the obvious? Make the picture worth 1,000 words through thorough caption writing. Standing out in the broadcast world, led by Andrea Matei, Room 348 (BR) We’ll go over small things you can add to your newscast that will make a big difference, and watch some examples. And let’s not forget, good writing skills are the backbone of a good story. Call for submissions — tips for generating magazine submissions, led by Alicia Clavell-McCall, Room 314 (LM) Avoid scrambling for magazine submissions at the last minute. Learn some tips sure to inspire your school to submit stories and artwork early and often. We’ll also try our hand at writing prompts designed to generate student submissions, so come prepared to write.
Session 2 continued Photography for any level, led by Lane Stafford, Room 341 (ALL) Get photo tips and tricks, show off your photography skills regardless of your skill level. Interviewing 101: How do I ask a good question?, led by Kate Risk, Lobby (NP, MUL, YB, BR) What to ask and how to ask it! Students will learn the importance of the 5W’s and an H along with interviewing etiquette.
Noon
Session 3
Delight with design, led by Mary Inglis, Room 322 (ALL) Your media readers want the whole package to go with their stories. Give them a sophisticated design and they will read! Get critiqued!, led by Andrea Matei, Room 348 (BR) A news producer is the one who chooses what exactly goes into a newscast and what doesn’t. Bring your newscast or news stories, and get feedback and tips to take back with you. Literary magazine trends, led by Alicia Clavell-McCall, Room 314 (LM) What’s new in the world of literary magazines and how can you make use of these trends to inspire your audience and ramp up publication submissions? All write, all write, all write!, led by Kate Risk, Room 341 (NP, MUL, YB, BR) News writing, opinion writing, feature writing, sports writing, columns, reviews, satires, AND MORE: all going into one newspaper. Learn how, here!
Meredith Cummings, MJE, has over 20 years of experience in print, web and multimedia reporting. She is Immediate Past President of Alabama Media Professionals and the Society of Professional Journalists Alabama Professional Chapter. She advises the Capstone Association of Black Journalists. She is a member of SPJ’s Journalism Education Committee and is lead organizer for TEDxTuscaloosa. In 2017, Cummings won first place in the personal blog category in the National Federation of Press Women contest and second place for opinion writing. She currently writes a blog for al.com and medium.com. Cummings supervises Editing and Digital production for UA’s Department of Journalism and Creative Media in the WVUA-TV newsroom, a professional commercial TV station. In 2014, she was awarded the James Frederick Paschal Award, given by the Columbia Scholastic Press Advisers Association that honors state or regional school press association officials who have distinguished themselves in the field. Mary Inglis is a veteran of scholastic journalism. She has advised yearbook for 30+ years in Florida, where she received the Morty Schaap award for Journalism Teacher of the Year in her state’s district. She has attended state, regional, and national conventions with students who have won awards in both writing and design. She feels her strength is trying new ideas her students bring while adhering to the basics of the journalism discipline. Inglis is the past chair of the Southern Interscholastic Press Association and its recognized Endowment Speaker for 2017.
Andrea Matei produces the 6 p.m. news for WVUA 23, located right inside the Bryant-Denny Stadium. She graduated from The University of Alabama with a bachelor's in journalism. She first discovered her love for broadcast news at Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa, where she was one of the students to launch PATS-TV. Andrea has a long history with ASPA. She participated in workshops throughout high school, took part in the Multicultural Journalism Workshop in 2010 and volunteered while she was in college. Andrea is German and has lived in the U.S. since 2002. She enjoys traveling, cooking, listening to music and watching football (both European and Alabama).
Alicia Clavell-McCall is founder, publisher and editor of an annual electronic and print publication: Southern Women’s Review. She has almost two decades of experience in magazine publication and serves as a full-time UAB Collat School of Business faculty member and Coordinator of the UAB Ada Long Creative Writing Workshop. McCall is also a two-time winner of the UAB Barkesdale-Maynard Poetry Prize and a Hackney Award winner. She has published in venues such as Red Truck Review and Birmingham Arts Journal. Email her at aliciaclavell@gmail.com or southernwomensreview@gmail.com.
Kate Risk is a first-year graduate student at the University of Alabama. She is working towards her master’s degree in Higher Education Administration. She is currently the Operations Coordinator for UA’s Graduate School Programs. Her dream is to work with colleges and universities on their accreditation and assessment. Kate has worked with ASPA for the past four years and loves working with students who have a passion for writing.
Lane Stafford is a senior studying visual journalism at the University of Alabama. She has been a photographer for the University of Alabama Service Learning Magazine and Alpine Living. This year she had the honor of being named the University of Alabama's Outstanding Visual Journalism Student. Lane has also written for the Crimson White and Alice Magazine and interned on the copy desk at The Tuscaloosa News. She is in the Honors College and a member of the Gold Key Honour Society. Lane has a passion for travel and visual media. She traveled to New Zealand with Alpine Living and took photography courses in London in the Summer of 2016. Her dream job would take her around the world. She will be starting graduate school in the spring to pursue her master’s in journalism.
Thank you to Our Friends! Patrons
Alabama Press Association Alabama Broadcasters Association Lee High School
Supporters
Dean Mark Nelson and the C&IS Dean’s Office Dr. Cory Armstrong, Chair, Department of Journalism and Creative Media Sue Givens, Crechale Stevens, Diane Shaddix, and the Department of Journalism and Creative Media Department of Advertising and Public Relations Department of Communication Studies Steve Diorio and the staff of WVUA-TV 23 Paul Wright, Mark Mayfield and the Office of Student Media Nayeli Pineda Lauren Meadows Miller Fitts All of our wonderful session leaders!
Thank you to Our ASPA BOARD MEMBERS: Renee Quaife: President, Sparkman High School, Harvest Capri Day: Vice President, Hillcrest High School, Tuscaloosa Barbara Bateman: Secretary, Murphy High School, Mobile
Members at Large:
Birmingham: Connie Nolen, Pelham High School Montgomery: Gina Aaij, LAMP High School Mobile: Lindsey Koen, McGill-Toolen Catholic High School Huntsville: Michelle Sisson, Lee High School Auburn: Beth Antoine, Auburn High School Director, Meredith Cummings Program Assistant, Lane Stafford Director Emeritus, Marie Parsons