Denver JEA/NSPA Convention – Day 1

Posted on Apr 13, 2007 in Life | 0 comments

We’re here and we’re a mile high! (No, that’s a not a drug reference.) I’m in Denver with the staff of the MTHS Hawkeye attending the JEA/NSPA student journalism convention. As always, it’s an amazing experience. This is my twentieth-something convention, both as a student and as a chaperon. For the record, this group comprises 14 students, one advisor, and three chaperons.

Thursday began with a slow ride on a school bus to SeaTac airport. When I say slow, I mean about 40 miles an hour on the freeway in first gear. Lois, our driver, confessed that she was new. She apparently had the training where she learned to switch gears. But, I digress.

We’re at the beautiful downtown Denver Hyatt, which is brand new and one of the nicest hotels we’ve stayed in. It also the official convention hotel, a first for the Hawkeye. So there’s no long walks or bus rides during which the students can be accosted by homeless people. That’s good, but really reduces how much work I have to do.

The keynote address last evening was given by Jim Sheeler and was without a doubt the most moving keynote I’ve ever attended. Mr. Sheeler’s a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist whose “beat” is obituaries. He tells the stories of the people’s lives in a honest, moving way unlike anything I’ve heard. While reading from his work he got so emotional he had to stop. That, he told the crowd of 2,000 silent, rapt students, is what allows him to interview grieving families: he really cares. The silence was broken only by soft sobs and sniffs from students who were so affected by these moving, true stories of fallen soldiers in Iraq and everyday people in Colorado.

A quick stop at Taco Bell (see below) and a brief meeting in our room rounded out the night. I’ll try and post about Friday later. It’s going to be a busy night for me and advisor Vince DeMiero. We’re judging student write-off competitions, which usually runs late into the evening. Also looking forward to Saturday morning when I’ll be having lunch with my good friend Mark Wong and his girlfriend. I’ve not seen Mark since Crystal and visited Loveland, CO in May 2005.

Craziest Sign – To all my Catholic friends, check this photo out (disregard the fact that Lent is over; this Taco Bell didn’t have any sauce packets left so removing outdated signs can’t be high on the list):