Spartan Times

Spartan Times staff head to Hollywood for national convention training

By Ayzha Haili, Art Editor

The hard work done by the Spartan Times students seems to have finally paid off.

Eight students, Ayzha Haili, Michelle Einzinger, Bryanna McFadden, Katie Stefanek, Michael Dillon, Alex Mackey, Peter Targos and Darnell Thompson, along with advisers Tresa England and Jim Delung, attended the Associated Collegiate Press National Convention in Hollywood March 4-6.

Despite all the excitement the group was feeling at the time, this was a business trip, and after checking into the Convention, held at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel, the group prepared for a long weekend of workshops.

Sessions began at 9 a.m. Friday morning and lasted until 4 p.m. Scheduling was the same on Saturday.

“My first workshop was on fundamental news design, and our speaker spoke on what should be seen in a newspaper and what shouldn’t be seen,” freshman photographer Michelle Einzinger said. “For example, there shouldn’t be so much white space, and all the text should be the same size and fonts, besides the headings. (It was about) how to make the paper more appealing for readers.”

There weren’t only layout and design workshops. Workshops were also offered on photography, how to write articles, how to improve a newspaper club, and even workshops on how to be better leaders and how to deal with club problems.

“One of my favorite workshops was one that had explained when and how using text and pictures from other web sites was okay to help avoid getting into any kind of legal trouble,” sophomore art editor Ayzha Haili said.

Around noon each day, there was a keynote speaker who gave about an hour long message on journalism, some of the benefits and hassles of the field, and what it takes to become a successful journalist.

One keynote speaker in particular left a great impact on some of the Spartan students. He is sports writer for the L.A Times Bill Plaschke.

“Man, Bill Plaschke is AWESOME, he is one of the greatest sports writers I know,” alumni layout editor Darnell Thompson said excitedly.

Plaschke gave an inspirational speech on how people can touch many lives with just words and the stories they choose to write.

He talked about how it can be frustrating at times to come up with a good story, but if you believe in yourself and get emotionally connected to a story, it can turn out to be great.

“Bill Plaschke inspired me to dig deep within myself and put all that I have into writing because stories can touch and make a difference in someone’s life,” Haili said.

Even though the group spent a lot of time in the workshops, the group had time to explore the streets of Hollywood as well.

The group spent their nights walking up and down Hollywood Boulevard, taking pictures of the cartoon characters on the streets. Some of the other random talents on the street included an undiscovered drawing artist who sketched three people in the group, rappers who were trying to get discovered, and even a robot man.

They also occupied their time taking pictures of the celebrity stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“It was fun to see all the stars on the sidewalk with all the celebrity names, the big city lights, all the people crowding the streets and all the different food aromas,” freshman photographer Bryanna McFadden said.

Although the Hollywood Walk of Fame was a great experience for some of the students, it wasn’t quite the highlight of the trip for others.

“The Walk of Fame was cool, but television made it seem so much cooler than what it actually  is,” freshman copy editor Michael Dillon said.

The group also did a hike to Hollywood’s famous Inspiration Point during their free time. Once reaching the Point, there they were able to view all of Hollywood.

“The view at Inspiration Point was amazing, it took my breath away, but I must say the hike wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be,” Haili said, laughing.

Traveling and experiencing this scenery were some of the highlights of the trip.

Another place enjoyed by the group was the roof garden located at the top of the Orchid Suites Hotel, where the group stayed for the trip.

That was most appreciated by adviser Tresa England.

“The roof garden was beautiful. I couldn’t believe all the different plants they had, and the view of the city was great,” England said with a smile. “It was my escape area in the mornings where I could just enjoy my cup of coffee and phone home.”

Of course, these where all awesome things to experience, but what the group said to have enjoyed the most was the food on the trip.

They had their share of some burger and fries restaurants, but they also enjoyed some Hawaiian BBQ, Mongolian food, wings, sushi, fish and shrimp, Chinese food, Mexican food, pizza, some Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles, and even some sidewalk-made hot dogs.

“The sushi was delicious. It just melted in my mouth, and one roll just wasn’t enough because after eating my caterpillar roll made with avocado and eel, I was still hungry,” Einzinger said.

Overall, the day that the group enjoyed the most was Sunday, when half of the group went to Universal Studios, while the other half went to Venice Beach and enjoyed the sun.

“Being at the beach, I just really enjoyed interacting with people that are different from me,” freshman reporter Peter Targos said.

The group that went to Universal Studios spent six or seven hours there.

“I really enjoyed the tour of the movie sets, and just being able to see how and where the movies and TV shows are made was cool,” freshman reporter Katie Stefanek said.

The Spartan Times group returned on Monday with lots of stories to share and new knowledge and skills to apply to upcoming newspaper issues. All of this wouldn’t have been possible without the help of their fundraising sponsors and supporters, so the Spartan Times would like to thank them for an unforgettable trip.

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