Hi Sam! This is truly spectacular news. May I put it on the website and ask Paul to squeeze it into the newsletter? The kind of expertise you’re being acknowledged for is exactly what PSPA is all about – everyone should know you’re doing this! So you’re going to cut loose [...]

PSPA congratulates these advisers and publications for honors received at last week’s Columbia Scholastic Press Association Convention:

Advisers

Kathleen Zweibel, Pottsville Area HS, Joseph M. Murphy Award for outstanding service to journalism

Wanda Pletcher, Altoona Area JHS, Gold Key Award

Publications

Blue Review, Mercersburg Academy, Silver Crown, HS literary magazine

The Spoke, Conestoga High School, Silver Crown, HS newspaper

Campus 2009, Kiski [...]

Congratulations to Seth, Katelyn, and Emily! Well done!

“Cutting Edge”

November 4th and 5th, 2010 / Holiday Inn Harrisburg East

Click here for more information

The 2009 issue of Image Explosion has won the NCTE Highest Award designation for literary magazines.  Four extraordinary magazines were nominated; Merion Mercy prevailed.  Congratuations for Margery Roby and IE staff!

Earlier this year PSPA presented IE with a Keystone-Allstate – our highest award.

How did the other PA literary magazines do in the NCTE competition?  Here’s the list [...]

Looking for help in starting a newspaper program at you school? Or, for help in revitalizing a program that has gone by the wayside? Check out the Newspaper Association of America website. Lots of information, particularly under the “Grants” tab.

Q: Where will you be next November?

A: At the PSPA Statewide Conference in scenic Harrisburg, PA
Holiday Inn Harrisburg East
Thursday 11/4 – Friday 11/5!

We’re letting you know now so that you may plan ahead.

 Thursday

Late afternoon dinner and presentation * Write-offs * Entertainment

 Friday

Sessions on technology, newspaper, yearbook, literary magazines, websites, broadcast journalism, and more * Lunch and [...]

Wow! That TED piece was quite powerful – fantastic layouts!

Interesting – looks like a hot magazine delivered daily, with a full web/video component. Put that in your backpack and smoke it!

Here’s the agenda for the next PSPA Board Member meeting:

PSPA Board Meeting Agenda                                                   12/9/2009                                                                        1
 

 
The Pennsylvania School Press Association
Board Meeting Agenda

 

The mission of Pennsylvania School Press Association is to promote excellence and responsibility in scholastic journalism through developing students who possess sound journalism skills, demonstrate ethical decision making and recognize, uphold, and advocate [...]

Robert Hankes presents the staff of The Spoke with their Keystone-Allstate.  Photo taken by Mr. Bijlani at the Conestoga High School.

Check out this picture of PSPA President Robert Hankes at a Bloomsburg High School school board meeting on 11/16, presenting a 2009 Keystone Allstate award to R&W editor Courtney Sabo and many of the Red & White staff.  What a motivated group to assemble on a Monday night!

A number of people have asked if they may still join PSPA even though they’ve missed the 11/1 deadline.  Answer: heck, yeah!  We don’t want to deprive any staff of PSPA membership.  We’re finalizing a useful membership packet, and looking at a webinar series for the spring, so there’s definitely reasons to join.  We’d like to receive your membership [...]

Excellent newsmagazine – talk about eye-catching! I read the archery article: solid reporting with cutting-edge design. And that cow! Many will look at that cow and and think “Hey that’s pretty funny a cow eating words,” and may miss the cool visual the picture of the cow became.
I’ve said it [...]

Hey students who attended this great event – feel free to post pictures and links to video you took at PPU! It’s easy and free! Thanks!

This really was a fantastic conference, and the presenters discussing coverage of the G20 Summit were fascinating. What a great day! Jane Blystone is right – Helen Fallon’s program is a great model for future conferences.

2 0 0 8  -  2 0 0 9   K e y s t o n e   A l l  S t a t e   W i n n e r s :
Newspaper

The Devil’s Advocate, Mount Lebanon HS

The Red & White, Bloomsburg HS

The Spoke, Conestoga HS, Berwyn, PA

Tide Lines, Pottsville Area HS

 
Literary Magazine
Artifact, Fleetwood Area [...]

PSPA is both surprised and gratified by the response from its membership so far!  If you haven’t had a chance to renew, click on the blue label on the top-left of this page, download the form, fill it in, and send it, including your check.  That’s all there is to it!  For almost every publication, [...]

So that’s what that picture is! When did you rent the Bobcat?

PSPA wishes you the best as many of us take a breather, courtesy of Christopher Columbus, and press on into the waning months of 2009.

 This fall PSPA planned a number of one-day regional conferences, intending to have students learn and meet in places PSPA never had an opportunity to visit before.  Those regional conferences, in [...]

Conestoga’s Spoke Newspaper / Web publication earns “Best of Philly” Award

The publishers of Philadelphia Magazine noted the publication’s gutsy approach to journalism, writing, ““Nationally recognized and award-winning, Conestoga’s seasoned journalists learn to tackle serious topics – growing up gay, teen pregnancy, swine flu, illegal gambling – for their published-seven-times-a-year paper and even richer, ever-updating [...]

When people see the quality of PA literary magazines, they are always amazed. PA lit mags, you rock!

Are you a PA student journalist or PA journalism adviser?  Dude (or Dudette): you need to join this website.  Go to the top-right corner.  Click on Sign-Up.  Enter a username, password, email, tell us a few things about yourself, and create an avatar (or not) – and you’re in.  Soon you’ll be conversing with students and [...]

Remember last May?  You were sitting there with all those research papers to grade and journals to look at, and you said to yourself: “I must remember to suggest this to the publications staff I advise . . .”  What was that this?  What are you going to try differently this year?   This blog could [...]

In Pennsylvania schools, is the First Amendment as palpable as Geometry class, or lockers – or is it a facade, an illusion?  May the journalists in your school - the broadcasters, the artists, the sports writers, the yearbook editors choosing photos – speak freely?  Or not?

Did you read “Watchmen”? Did you see the movie “Watchmen”? Rorschach may not be the most articulate writer, but he knew enough to keep his notes together and organize them so the facts were retrievable. Moral: no matter how big government and business becomes, as long as there’s one writer and one [...]