From Nov. 7 to Nov. 10, students from Digital Journalism and Yearbook Journalism at East had the amazing opportunity to go to Philadelphia, Pa, and learn from journalists, professors, and advisors worldwide through JEA’s program. The Journalism Education Association also known as JEA, holds a yearly conference  that provides educational resources for free and responsible scholastic journalism. 

During this trip students not only learned many new skills for journalism, they also bonded and learned about the abundant history of Philadelphia. The group went sightseeing, shopping and took trips to see historic sites like Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. 

Journalism 2 student and editor of The Howl, Jordan Fikis went on this trip and truly enjoyed her time. She came back with pages full of notes ready to improve The Howl and try new things. 

“My favorite presentation was the ‘10 Tips to Better your Website’. It was really informational and was good to hear about since we have been wanting to change The Howl’s website. There was also one about TikToks, so that brought up some ideas,” Fikis said. 

All these skills learned, and time spent with fellow Journalism students will improve the quality of Fikis’ work as well as her chemistry with her peers. 

This trip was not only beneficial for aspiring journalists, but also for advisors of publications. Advisor of The Howl and English teacher at East, Anthony DiNardo also attended. He is looking forward to applying many of the strategies learned from JEA’s conference to future publications of The Howl. 

“The convention itself was eye-opening, and listening to all the different speakers teach us, as newbies in journalism, how to better our publication. I think for me, as a new advisor for journalism, this trip was very valuable,” DiNardo said. 

East also offers a Yearbook Journalism class from which students came to the JEA conference. One of those students is Chloe Scurr who is a second-year student in Yearbook Journalism. She thought this trip was super beneficial to students at East and wishes more students could have come. 

“My favorite part of the JEA trip was being able to see how other staff and publications worked around the country. We were able to take the knowledge they gave us and learn from and apply that to our class,” Scurr said. 

But don’t be fooled by all this learning, students and teachers at East always find a way to make sure fun is included. Everyone on the trip enjoyed sightseeing in a new environment and going on tours in their free time. 

“While the conference was amazing, the highlight for me was seeing all of the historical buildings and read all of the history behind the Declaration of Independence and The Liberty Bell,” DiNardo said. 

Overall, this trip was a huge success for the Journalism classes at East and is sure to show a positive impact on The OE Howl and the Wolf’s Eye for years to come. Students and teachers on this trip are vital in teaching their newly learned skills to those who could not attend and ensuring the best for East’s publications.

Written by Junior Allie Heren. Edited by staff writers for Oswego East’s online news magazine The Howl.