Thanks to the collaboration and sponsorship of the High School Journalism Network (HSJN), Cypress Springs High School students Nicolas Duran, Irma Guzman, Olivia Page, and Hershie Soriano participated in a photography and journalism workshop on October 21st at the CFISD Visual and Performing Arts Center.
Throughout this day-long event, students had the opportunity to improve their writing, reporting, and photographic skills alongside fellow journalists from all over the district. By focusing on the importance of networking, students were able to connect with their peers and build relationships that may be useful in future endeavors.
“It is good to get out and for the students to get some hands-on experience, especially in photography, and to collaborate with other kids, a lot of them have vast knowledge they can share,” said journalism advisor Amy Earls.
In addition to making relationships, students were encouraged to expand their skillset and dive deeper into the different fields of journalism that they may not have been familiar with, such as photography, making the day a worthwhile learning experience.
“There is always something new to learn in journalism, for me it is writing and punctuation, for others photography or whatever they are not good at,” said senior Irma Guzman.
Despite this being the first workshop organized by the HSJN, there is hope that it will become a recurring yearly event, granting future student journalists the same valuable opportunity.
“I feel like, even for me, I have been in yearbook and journalism since freshman year, it was really helpful with informing me about everything related to it, you know? It is definitely worth it for other people in the future to go and experience it,”said Guzman.
For the Cypress Springs students who attended this year, the workshop only fueled them further, and they returned to campus with fresh skills, new connections, and a newfound sense of purpose to work harder than ever for their school’s newspaper.
