Holt senior Paige Pieper earned an exceptional distinction at the Semiannual National High School Journalism Convention, co-sponsored by the Journalism Education Association (JEA) and the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA). She received an “Excellent” rating in the editorial writing category of the highly competitive JEA Write-off competition.

Each entry in the competition, which was held in Chicago in early November, was judged by two qualified experts in the field. “It was very competitive. I helped judge a caption write off contest, and more than half of them received no award. Paige’s category required her to go into a room, analyze three articles, receive a prompt and write and editorial in two hours,” said  publications teacher Sydney Swanson.

“My work with the journalism team has made me see the world in a new way and has made me think critically about things I normally would have only given a passing glance to. This allowed me to look at the contest in a unique way. I have gotten a lot of practice writing over the past few years through the Holt program, which helped me calm my nerves and do what I love to do. My journalism teachers, Ms. Swanson and Ms. Mills, have been a huge part or my decision to pursue journalism and I am thankful for the time and effort they have put into making me the best possible journalism student I can be.” said Peiper. 

With attendance of over 4,000 delegates from across the U.S and abroad, the JEA/NSPA convention is the largest gathering of student journalists in the country. The convention lasted three days, and over that time students and advisers had the opportunity to attend learning sessions with top broadcast, digital and print journalists. The fall conference’s keynote speaker was Pete Souza, an American photojournalist, and former Chief Official White House Photographer for U.S Presidents Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama.

“I think being a student journalist at this time is important,” Peiper said. “We learn about the journalism process and ethics which helps in everyday life. I plan on attending college to get a journalism degree so I am grateful for the opportunity to ‘get my toes wet’ and get an idea of what I want to spend my life doing.”