While everyone else was in school, students in journalism teacher Gavin Brady’s classes traveled to Boston in November to see the sights and learn more about journalism.
Six students from Brady’s classes were in Boston for the annual National Scholastic Press Association national convention. There were a variety of classes to attend and something for everyone.
“My favorite class was the Barbie and Taylor Swift one. I loved all the classes relating to journalism but specifically this one, because it tied in pop culture with inclusivity and positivity within the yearbook,” senior Olivia Stack said.
However not all classes were fun and games, some were more serious than others,
“My favorite was this class I took about reporting on tragedy. The speaker was a survivor of a school shooting and spoke from experience as their journalism department tried to cope with trying to report on a tragedy your part of,” sophomore Jack Caratenuto said.
While most classes were fun, there were some people did not enjoy.
“I didn’t like the class about choosing photos for your yearbook,” sophomore Ruth Rundahl said.
While students attended to broaden their journalism knowledge and learn skills to make their yearbook and newspaper better, they also took advantage of the conference being in Boston, enjoying the city and all the history it has to offer.
“I thought it was a great place to have the conference. Last year’s was in St. Louis and that wasn’t as fun because who wants to come to St. Louis? I was very impressed with Boston and I think all the kids really liked the city. I liked seeing the gravestones of all the famous colonists like Sam Adams and John Hancock,” Brady said.
The graves weren’t the only historical site seen.
“My favorite historical site was probably the Harbor because I loved the view of the city and it was a really pretty day to go near the water,” Stack said.
One culinary treat Boston is known for is its seafood.
“I had a lobster roll and a bowl of clam chowder that changed my life,” Caratenuto said.
However, not everyone had the same luck with their clam chowder.
“I had some clam chowder and a clam sandwich while in Boston. They weren’t very good, I was not impressed. I’ve had better clam chowder out of a can at Schnucks,” Brady said.
A highlight from the trip was being able to get a tour of the Boston Globe from South High alumna Leah Becerra. Becerra was a newspaper writer when she was at South, and is currently the Senior Digital Editor at the Boston Globe.
“My favorite thing we did on our sight-seeing day was the Boston Globe and our tour,” Caratenuto said.
The conference being in Boston allowed tourist activities and some really fun classes.
“I think the conference was impacted because some of the classes could be played off of things in Boston,” Rundahl said.
One of those classes was taught by the Boston Red Sox official team photographer, Maddie Malhotra. She talked in her session about how she first learned photography on her yearbook staff in high school.
“My favorite class I went to was when I learned from the official photographer for the Boston Red Sox. I thought that would be a really cool job to have and neat learning from her how she got the job,” Brady said.
While the conference was fun overall, there was one downside, which was having to take the subway to get to the conference every morning.
“I’ve been going to this conference for 23 years and this was the first time we weren’t able to stay in the hotel where the conference was held. It was really inconvenient having to take the subway every day to get to the convention center,” Brady said.
Another thing students wished, is that places were open later,
“I wish the places were open a lot later. Keira and I were walking around Chinatown at night and everything besides food places were closed,” Stack said.
Brady liked being able to know his students in a different way.
“I just like seeing and interacting with my students outside of the classroom and learning more about them,” Brady said.
Students even ate dinner at a restaurant at Fenway Park.
“The best part of the trip was getting to walk around to see all of the landmarks, and going to Fenway Park,” Rundahl said.
Brady said he is already looking forward to next year’s conference, which is scheduled for Nov. 7-10 in Philadelphia.
“Next year’s conference is in Philly and I hope to bring a bunch of students,” Brady said.
