Thursday, January 25th, the staff of Crown Town Media traveled down to Indiana University in Bloomington to take part in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The Indiana High School Press Association hosts an annual convention of media students around Indiana, consisting of an awards ceremony and a plethora of classes for attendees.
While at the convention, the Inklings staff along with the Excalibur Yearbook staff were selected as finalists for the Hoosier Star Award—a prestigious form of recognition for young reporters in the making.
“I feel great because I imagine the upper class, since they got to see it from the very beginning, really had a lot of fun with it,” freshman yearbook staff member Lucy Keene said. “It was also really cool to know that we have a good system and learn from it,”
For upperclassmen who have worked relentlessly to build the CTM organization from the ground up, this award was a phenomenal accomplishment and helped to prove their hard work has not gone unnoticed.
“I learned that you can do anything you put your mind to. If you work hard and love what you do, you can honestly do anything,” junior CPTV staff member Kailey Palomo said.
Not only was the winning of this award a great accomplishment, it was also an important lesson for young staff members about the importance of their work and an improvement in their mindset.
“You’re not only learning skills to use in the workplace, but you’re learning how to work with other people and build a community,” senior Editor-in-Chief of Inklings Hayden Kay said.
As a long-time member of the Inklings staff and a fundamental figurehead for CTM, Kay believes that Inklings has helped build a solid relationship with others in the workplace.
While at the convention, attendees were also introduced to the first and second African American female news anchors ever.
“I would say it was really cool because the person we met was the first black female news anchor ever, and then we met the second. It was both of them at the same time. It was really cool to hear their perspective on how to be a good journalist and learn from them,” Keene said.
This keynote presentation only helped to further the intelligence gained by members of the CTM staff. Furthermore, this keynote presentation was highly informative about the importance of perseverance in any workplace and taught viewers how not to give up even in the face of adversity.
“I’d say that everyone’s super good and super nice. I think that everyone always has a good time. There’s no judgment and no bad feelings, and it’s honestly a really good crew to work with,” Palomo said.
Not only was the Bloomington trip highly informative and educational for all involved, but it also helped to build a stronger community within the CTM staff.
“I would say I was very surprised by how well and drama-free we all got along together very nicely.We all learned a lot from each other and just bonded. It was really great,” Keene said.
In conclusion, the CTM Indiana University and Franklin Trip was educational and exciting for all involved. Not only did attendees get to experience a life-altering keynote speaker and amazing classes, but they also won an award and overall became a closer-knit community.
