Spring 2018 UW Oshkosh hosts a new kind of NEWSPA conference
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Spring 2018
UW Oshkosh hosts a new kind of NEWSPA conference
Nikki Brahm
NEWSPA PR Assistant
T
he Northeastern Wiscon-
sin Scholastic Press As-
sociation will celebrate its
49th anniversary of the organi-
zation’s beginnings by featuring
10 NEWSPA alumni with expe-
rience in different areas of the
journalism field.
The NEWSPA alumni are
returning to campus to host
individual sessions, along with
a keynote panel, “NEWSPA
Alumni: Oh, the Places You
Could Go,” (See page 4). The
individual sessions include a
variety of topics within journal-
ism such as “Alternative Story
Formats,” (See page 14) “How
to Thrive in this New Age of Mul-
timedia Journalism,” (See page
12) “Storytelling in Advertising,” Photo by: Nikki Brahm
(See page 10) “Visual Design NEWSPA will be back at Reeve Union for it’s 2018 conference April 18.
Trends: Making Your Pages
Pop,” (See page 13) “What You Dream Internship, Too” and “Jour- NEWSPA has also gone digital
Can Do with Google Analytics” nalism Smackdown.” with the ability for students to sub-
(See page 9) and many more. The conference will once again mit entries online as well as receive
Many favorite sessions be held in Reeve Memorial Union. the critiques online after the con-
will be returning as well, such It’s newly renovated rooms were ference.
as “Getting the Big Picture in finished in October. The building Advisers should contact
Sports,” presented by Evan includes a modernized entrance NEWSPA Executive Secretary
Siegel, the team photogra- and innovative design, such as Barb Benish at benish@uwosh.
pher for the Green Bay Pack- updated offices and large confer- edu if they are interested in sched-
ers. Other popular returning ence rooms on the second floor uling an in-person or online critique
sessions are “You Can Get a that will create a welcoming envi- from Advance-Titan Adviser Vince
ronment for the conference. Filak.
NEWSPA 2018 01
NEWSPA Newsletter
Table of Contents
Features Departments
Department
4- Alumni Return for Keynote session 1- NEWSPA preview
6- Alumna Reegan Wallander on preparing for 3- Letter from NEWSPA president
a job that doesn’t exist yet 5- NEWSPA moves to online submissions
8- Alumna Madison Goldbeck on broadcast 6- Meet NEWSPA board member
journalism
7- NEWSPA returns to Reeve Memorial Union
9- Noell Dickmann on feature writing, Alumni 16- NEWSPA board members
Hannah Jean and Emily Miels talk Google
Analytics
10- Amberlee Perry and Karnpal Cheema
on your first post-college job, Joel Thomas
on storytelling with advertising
11- Adviser Session on summer seminars
12- Alex Gelhar on multimedia journalism
13- Tyler Remmel on page design
14- Haley Walters on alternative story formats
15- Journalism students Kaitlin Biersach and
Laura Dickinson on internships
NEWSPA 2018 02
Letter from the President
makes no comment, that person ists, and I encourage you to bring
Jeff Carter must have the opportunity to have these issues into your class and
NEWSPA President a voice present in the article. your publications.
What should you do if the princi-
pal tells you and the students that
At my school today, a group of they cannot cover the walk out or
about 50 students walked out of print a story about it. Suppressing
their third-period classes in sup- information because it makes the
port of the students of Parkland school look bad is a violation of the
High School. Members of the students First-Amendment rights.
community showed up to support If they try to, contact us, and we
the cause, the police were pres- will help you fight.
ent to monitor the demonstration, The same is true in regards to
and the local media was there too. writing an editorial or column about
As the advisor of our school’s the event. A student has the right
student newspaper I used this op- to comment on these the event.
portunity to discuss the role of the This could take the form of a crit-
journalism and the students’ role icism, praise, or suggesting other
in how to cover this situation. ways to express support.
The first thing we discussed is This has been a great learning
does it need to be covered. The experience for the student journal-
answer is a resounding yes. This
is an event that is topical, affects
the students, and has conflict. It is
news, it needs to be covered.
The next step is determining who
to cover the event. In our case, the
paper had to avoid conflict of inter-
ests. We have several staff mem-
bers of the newspaper who are
friends with those who organized
the walk out. These students can-
not write the story because they
would have a difficult time fairly in-
terviewing the students and fairly
discussing the event. A news sto-
ry needs to state the facts and let
the audience form their opinions.
Next was getting fair coverage.
Covering the event needs to have
Photo by: Nikki Brahm
the voices of the students and NEWSPA President Jeff Carter reading an issue of the high school news-
the voices of the teacher or ad- paper he advises The Hartford Chronicle.
ministrators. Even if the principal
NEWSPA 2018
03
Journalism alumni return for keynote session:
NEWSPA Alumni: ‘Oh, the Places You Could Go’
Sloan Tackett across NFL media,” Gelhar said. ald in Lake Havasu City, Arizona,
Alumna Madison Goldbeck, and now works as a reporter for
Journalism Student Plymouth High School, writes for the Greenville News in Greenville,
numerous magazines such as South Carolina. Walters has had a
T
here are opportunities in Media Milwaukee, Taylor Maga- lot of experience working as a re-
journalism. Just a look zine and Superhero Magazine. porter and can offer valuable infor-
at the profiles of the 10 She is currently finishing school mation pertaining to that.
NEWSPA alumni coming back to at UW-Milwaukee with a major in “Don’t expect all the hard work to
the high school journalism confer- journalism, a minor in English, and pay off immediately,” Walters said.
ence as keynote speakers shows an emphasis in creative writing. “Many journalists often start off at
that. Oshkosh North High School small companies and put in lots of
The 10 alumni will present alumna Hannah Jean works as work there before bigger compa-
“NEWSPA Alumni: Oh, the Places a part of the E-Power Marketing nies even consider them. Coffee
You Could Go” at the 2018 North- team in Oshkosh. She graduated helps.”
eastern Wisconsin Scholastic from UW-Whitewater and interned Andrew Winistorfer, Oshkosh
Press Association conference on on the East and West coasts. Also North High School, started by
April 18. The alumni have taken an Oshkosh North High School writing movie reviews for his high
different paths with their careers in alumna, Emily Miels started work- school newspaper and continued
media-related positions. ing as an entertainment editor at to write music reviews in college for
Karnpal Cheema, Berlin High the Eau Claire Leader Telegram UW Oshkosh’s The Advance-Ti-
School, is one of the returning and now works as a content spe- tan. He is now head of editorial
alumni who works close to home cialist at E-Power Marketing. at Vinyl Me, Please, a vinyl record
as a content specialist. His love for Alumnus Amberlee Peery, Ber- subscription company.
journalism started when he partic- lin High School, found interest in Four of the returning alumni
ipated in his high school newspa- journalism by helping with her high attended Oshkosh North High
per, which eventually resulted in a school newspaper and turned that School, which is where Jason
major in journalism, as well as a interest into an English degree with Cummings is a teacher and the
major in anthropology and minor an emphasis in communications. school newspaper adviser. Cum-
in Arabic. She works as content specialist at mings recognizes the importance
Returning alumnus Alex Gelhar, DealerSocket. of attending an event like NEWS-
Oshkosh West High School, first Tyler Remmel, alumnus of Hart- PA, especially for individuals inter-
started working as a writer and ford Union High School, earned ested in a career path that follows
editor for the NFL as part of the a degree in journalism and sports some aspect of journalism.
Digital Features team, but he now communication from Ashland Uni- “Attending NEWSPA can ignite
works with a team on the fantasy versity. He is the lead page de- excitement and ideas that can go
football side of the NFL. Gelhar signer for the Detroit Free Press. beyond working on a school pub-
said he has seen a lot of growth Joel Thomas, Oshkosh North lication. It can launch prospective
with himself and the fantasy foot- High School, earned a bachelor’s students on a path of success that
ball brand since he started work- degree in communications and might last a lifetime,” Cummings
ing in that department. media studies from UW-Madison. said. “I am very proud of all of the
“I resurrected the defunct NFL He works as a copywriter for Tom, former NEWSPA participants. I am
Fantasy LIVE podcast by produc- Dick, & Harry Creative Co. in Chi- glad that many of them found suc-
ing and editing it myself when the cago. cess in life that’s tied to writing and
company said they couldn’t af- Hartford Union High School journalism.”
ford a designated producer, and alumna Haley Walters started her The keynote panel presenta-
we’ve grown that podcast into the career as a city, crime and coun- tion will begin at 11 a.m. in Reeve
second most downloaded pod ty reporter for Today’s News Her- 227ABC.
NEWSPA 2018
04
NEWSPA moves to online contest submissions
submitting,” Schultz said. “We will generate certificates to
Zackry Wiese With the new submission meth- the various place winners, and
Journalism Student od this will no longer be an issue, then we will put together emails
since schools must submit a PDF with judge’s comments that will go
of the pieces they are submitting directly back to the students as
T
by email. No more confusion and soon as they get on the bus after
he Northeastern Wiscon- red circles. the conference,” Schultz said.
sin Scholastic Press As- Another issue that the
sociation fully implement- new submission method
ed an online submission process solves is the cost. Instead
for both newspaper and yearbook of the expensive and
contest entries this year that aims complicated process of
to make the submission process mailing the submissions
simpler and more cost-effective. to the university, then to
Instead of the lengthy and re- the judges, then back to
source-consuming process of the university and eventu-
years past, NEWSPA went digital ally back to the schools,
(except for publication entries), all the submissions are
which will save postage costs for now emailed to the uni-
schools, NEWSPA and the many versity and put into a da-
judges. The process should also tabase as they are sorted.
save time and create less confu- NEWSPA Public Relations
sion than the former system. Assistant Taylore Radtke
The previous process of submis- said the new method is a
sion for the yearbook and news- lot simpler for the news-
paper contests included mailing in paper and yearbook ad-
print issues of the newspaper or visers.
yearbook with the actual submis- “It is a lot cheaper for
sion circled in red, then those is- the entire organization;
sues were sorted and sent out to there’s no mailing or print-
the judges. The judges would cri- ing, which was a lot of the
tique them and mail them back to cost. The new method
the journalism department, which takes a lot less time,” said
would then create certificates for Radtke. “After talking with
the winning entries and sort them advisers, they said that it
by division and school so they is a lot easier to submit
could be returned to the students. things rather than hand-
This may sound simple, but write everything and send
when you have hundreds of it to us, (and) then the
submissions, some things usu- judges.”
ally don’t go as expected. Cindy Submitting the work by
Schultz, academic associate to PDF over email will ben-
the Journalism Department, is re- efit the participating stu-
sponsible for the NEWSPA con- dents as well. Instead of
tests and she is the one who had waiting a few weeks for
to deal with the issues that arose their awards to be mailed
with the submissions. to them, they will have in-
“Many times, the entries were stant access as soon as
not circled, and it was up to me to the conference is over.
guess which story they were truly Infographic by: Tristan Groth
NEWSPA 2018 05
How to prepare for a job that doesn’t exist yet
about finding a career in an un- what it entails, Wallander said.
known field, while also encourag- “There are going to be people
Tristan Groth
ing others to take a leap of faith to who scoff or don’t think it’s a se-
Journalism Student find their niche in the ever-chang- rious job that could lead to suc-
ing field of social media. Her ses- cess,” she said. “Ignore those
D
sion begins at 10:10 a.m. in Reeve people and do what makes you
o you Instagram your 221. happy.” According to Wallander,
meals or outfits of the “Even if it’s just one person, I’m it is important for students to real-
day? Do you write clever most excited about that possibility ize their education is in their own
tweets? If so, maybe it’s time you to inspire someone to consider a hands.
turn these obsessions into a pay- career in social media,” Wallander Social media is constantly
check. said. “I am very passionate about changing and updating, and Wal-
If social media is your addiction, what I do and I hope my session landar said it is crucial to be on top
wouldn’t it be great to use that ad- can light a spark in someone to of trends and events as they im-
diction to design and implement look into professions within this pact whatever industry they are in.
campaigns for a company and get field.” “A lot can happen in five years,
paid? That is what UW Oshkosh During her session, she plans to especially in the highly innovative
alumna Reegan Wallander did explain some of the options that world we live in,” Wallander said.
when she was hired as the social are available within social media. “I predict we’ll be seeing a lot of
media community engagement One of the biggest hurdles for crossover among social platforms
adviser for Kohl’s. anyone choosing a social media as they continue to compete with
She will speak at the 2018 career is trying to explain it and get each other and try to be ahead of
NEWSPA conference on April 18 people to wrap their minds around the game.”
Meet NEWSPA board member Beth Plankey
Andrew Shea veyed jour- staff to this year’s conference.
n a l i s m “The staff is motivated and many
Journalism Student
advisers fresh ideas are a result of the feed-
B
across Wis- back we receive on our work,” she
eth Plankey has used her
consin to said. She also said networking
NEWSPA experience as a
determine with other NEWSPA school mem-
board member, as a pre-
the level of bers strengthens their scholastic
senter and just as an attendee to
censorship journalism program.
help increase her knowledge and
as a result of “NEWSPA fills the valuable role
skill in the ever-changing journal-
the famous of collaborator and resource of lo-
ism field.
H a ze l w o o d cal districts who support scholas-
Plankey is a teacher and advis-
case. She tic journalism,” she said.
er for the Neenah High School on-
has present- Photo courtesy of: NEWSPA Plankey said she’s been
line newspaper, the Satellite.
ed at the annual NEWSPA confer- amazed by the growth of NEWS-
She graduated from UW Osh-
ence numerous times since then PA and the conference since her
kosh in 1992 as the first journalism
on a variety of topics. involvement. “The innovation of
education student, and has taught
Plankey said she owes her in- the organization to gain members,
speech, English and journalism at
volvement in NEWSPA to Gary increase participation and offer
Neenah High School for the past
Coll, who founded NEWSPA near- support to local school districts is
25 years.
ly 50 years ago, to Gene Hintz and exceptional,” she said. “NEWSPA
Plankey said she first present-
Skip Zacher. All three were journal- has always featured leaders who
ed at the NEWSPA conference in
ism professors at UW Oshkosh. are budget savvy, resource rich
1991 about the results of an inde-
Plankey said she will bring her and student centered.”
pendent study in which she sur-
NEWSPA 2018 06
There’s no place like home
of food options. Guests can visit
the Marketplace to enjoy salad,
Mexican, grill, pizza, sandwiches
or grab/go food items. The Titan
Underground offers freshly made
panini sandwiches and appetizers.
On breaks, guests can stop by the
Convenience Store or University
Bookstore to grab essentials or Ti-
tan gear.
NEWSPA offers a day of learning
from mass media professionals,
as well as sharing with other stu-
Photo by: Nikki Brahm
Reeve Memorial Union recently renovated the front entrance of the build- dents and advisers. Students and
advisers can choose from nearly
ing, where students coming for the conference will enter from.
40 sessions on topics as varied as
the basics (sports writing, feature
Shannon Gaffney it easier and quicker for students
writing, interviewing, etc.), to fun
and advisers to move between
Journalism Student sessions and for people to find (Journalism Smackdown, where
D
speaker locations. teams that are first to the buzzer
orothy may have made The Reeve location will also be can win sweet prizes for answering
the line famous in Wiz- more convenient for attendees of journalism, grammar and AP Style
ard of Oz, but organiz- the conference. questions), to trends in the field
ers for the Northeastern Wiscon- “The last two years the confer- (social media for students, alterna-
sin Scholastic Press Association ence had been located at Gruen- tive story formats, what you can do
conference share her sentiment: hagen Conference Center and the with Google Analytics, etc.).
There is no place like home. Alumni Welcome and Conference The NEWSPA conference is also
After a two-year stint away, Center because of Reeve’s con- about celebrating successes of
NEWSPA will return to Reeve Me- struction,” Benish said. “While both students with the annual newspa-
morial Union at the University of are beautiful facilities, it just wasn’t per and yearbook competitions,
Wisconsin Oshkosh for its annual as convenient if people had to run Benish said. The day’s activi-
high school journalism conference to different buildings for sessions ties end with awards ceremonies
on April 18. This year brings even since there is only 10 minutes in where students receive certificates
more excitement with a newly ren- between presentations.” and ribbons for their quality work.
ovated space including welcom- Holding the event at Reeve “Judges give written comments
ing meeting rooms and creative Union also exposes students to on how they can improve, and
space providing upgraded tech- a taste of college life. Conference that’s valuable for both schools
nology and WiFi capacity. attendees are immersed in the col- and students who want to do bet-
According to Sarah Suwalski, lege setting and have the chance ter for the following year,” she said.
associate director of operations at to interact with peers, mentors and Journalism is much more than
Reeve Memorial Union, and Bar- others with similar interests. just writing for newspapers and
bara Benish, NEWSPA executive The student union is the primary NEWSPA tries to showcase the
secretary, there are many benefits community gathering place for this many job opportunities that exist in
to the conference being held in university, full of spaces to relax, the field. “It really is a fun day, a day
the student union. meet with others or even charge to learn, network and to get excit-
The entire conference — except your devices. ed about how students and advis-
for a PhotoShop session — will be Reeve Union also offers a variety ers can improve their publications,”
held in the same building, making Benish said.
NEWSPA 2018 07
Life behind the scenes of news
Drew George
Journalism Student
I
magine growing up and being
a part of one of your favorite
shows. That dream came true
for UW-Milwaukee senior Madison
Goldbeck when she first got to in-
tern at WISN-12 in late January
2017.
“I grew up watching WISN 12
so it was really surreal to me to be
interning with them!” she said. “I
recognized their faces since I was
in elementary school.”
Goldbeck’s ideal internship
would soon become an even
better opportunity after working
with Mike Anderson covering the
March Madness tournament in
Milwaukee. The work Madison did
that day impressed Mike enough
that he told the producers about Photo courtesy of: Madison Goldbeck
her; she said that’s when the pro-
Madison Goldbeck (left) and newscaster Michael Anderson at WISN.
ducers really started to notice her.
After her internship ended in mid-
May 2017, she went back to her 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts to get involved with broadcast
campus job at UW-Milwaukee’s during the weekdays and also should get involved as early as they
school paper. the Saturday and Sunday evening can. Getting involved on their col-
But shortly after, the executive news. She is also in charge of ed- lege campus will help them meet
producer and assistant news di- iting voice-overs, sound over tape professionals in the field who can
rector of WISN 12 contacted her and packages. Plus she creates help them grow, as well as build
and encouraged her to apply for the graphics and banners you see a strong network of profession-
an open assistant producer po- on the screen during the news. “I als. Broadcast journalists need to
sition. After her interview, she just help edit the show and make be ready to work in a fast-paced
was offered the position at WISN sure everything runs smoothly and environment and be able to meet
12 where she works 30 hours a that things will be done before we deadlines or else the show could
week. go live,” she said. suffer, she said.
Goldbeck will speak at the 2018 Broadcast news is a fast-paced Goldbeck said she is excited to
NEWSPA conference about her environment with a hectic sched- be back at NEWSPA as a speaker,
experiences at WISN 12 and will ule. Goldbeck recommended stu- after she attended the conference
give advice for students looking dents who want to get into broad- as a student from Plymouth High
to pursue broadcast. Her ses- cast have a thick skin and be School. (NEWSPA is a way) “to
sion begins at 9:20 a.m. in Reeve prepared to work long, odd hours meet people in the field and learn
227BC. Goldbeck assists the oth- including weekends and holidays. from professionals in the areas you
er WISN producers for the 5 p.m., She also said students who want are interested in,” she said.
NEWSPA 2018 08
For the love of feature writing
she said. “My writing was mostly of the people in her community, but
Heather Tice with music and songs.” has also impacted way she lives
Journalism Student Once she reached college, hers. “I learned so much about
though, her plans changed. She life from listening to other peoples’
Y
changed her major to journalism experiences and it helped shape
our writing can change and became active with the “War: who I am now,” she said.
the world. It was that sim- Through Their Eyes” project, a Dickmann said she hopes her
ple realization that made multimedia project that gave UW presentation will inspire people
Noell Dickmann decide to pursue Oshkosh student soldiers a way to with their writing. “I have had a few
journalism as a career. tell the world their stories from the experiences where my stories had
Journalism is more than just front lines of the Iraq War. a greater impact than just some-
writing fast-paced, breaking news She said she thoroughly enjoyed thing for someone to read on a
stories. Journalistic writing can working on the project because it Sunday morning.”
include everything from coming gave her the opportunity to really Dickmann said she wants to
up with funny slogans to writing get to know her subjects. “Most of share her love of writing with stu-
heartfelt stories about people. the projects we did were in-depth, dents and show them that their
Dickmann, a UW Oshkosh months-long projects where we’d writing can make a difference in the
alumna, will speak about how to meet with our interviewees multi- world. “I really felt like I was doing
write feature stories at the April 18 ple times and fill books, podcasts my part to change my little corner
NEWSPA conference. and videos with their stories. I of the world while I was a journalist,
As a high school student, Dick- loved the process of digging to a and I got validation in that time and
mann said she never considered deeper level.” again.”
a career in journalism for herself. “I Dickmann’s love of feature writ- Her session begins at 9:20 a.m.
was super into the music scene,” ing has changed not only the lives in Reeve 221.
NEWSPA alumni share info on Google Analytics, careers
Danielle Beelow may have during their NEWSPA also in Reeve 209.
presentation, “Transferrable Skills: Jean and Miels use Google An-
Journalism Student Turning Your High School News- alytics and want to show students
paper/Yearbook into a Career.” how important it is in their every-
D
The session begins at 8:30 a.m. in day jobs and have them leave with
on’t overlook your pas-
Reeve 209. a deeper appreciation for the im-
sion and unique skills you
Miels says working at your stu- portance of this data and how it
gained throughout your
dent newspaper or yearbook can be used in their high school
high school years being dedicat-
teaches you valuable skills that publication websites. Google An-
ed to your school’s newspaper
you’ll utilize throughout your ca- alytics is a free web analytics tool
or yearbook. And don’t think your
reer, no matter what direction you that generates comprehensive sta-
hard work will go unnoticed with
take. Jean adds, “I truly believe tistics and data about activity on a
colleges or employers.
that working on Oshkosh North’s website and helps analyze visitor
Hannah Jean and Emily Miels,
newspaper helped set the stage traffic and draw a complete picture
both NEWSPA and Oshkosh North
for my college years, which ulti- of your audience and their needs.
High School alumni, will help high
mately helped shape my career so Their hope is to show these young
school students recognize how
far.” writers the value of using Google
useful the skills they are learning
The two are also offering a ses- Analytics for the newspaper or
are and how transferable they are
sion on Google Analytics. This pre- yearbook’s websites and to use
with any future career path they
sentation will begin at 9:20 a.m., that tool to improve their writing.
NEWSPA 2018
09
What to expect from your first post-college job
gins at 10:10 a.m. in Reeve 306. ered when searching for your first
Perry and Cheema are both job. First is a comprehensive job
Jess Foster content specialists at DealerSock- description. It is important to know
Journalism Student et who write blogs, landing pages what is expected of you in a posi-
and press releases. The key points tion.
A
Perry plans to resonate are being Another realistic expectation is
s a high school student,
realistic about first job expecta- for employers to talk to you about
you’ve probably worked
tions, getting the best value of time your resume. This opportunity al-
in a restaurant or retail
spent at your first job, and knowing lows for employers to critique the
store to earn some extra cash. But
when it’s time to leave for another resume. They are able to highlight
how do those jobs differ from your
opportunity. the strong parts, inform you if they
first “real” job after college?
Perry said she wanted to cover believe a section does not align
Amberlee Perry and Karnpal
this topic for NEWSPA because it with their company and ask about
Cheema, both Berlin High School
is relatable to her current life situ- work you have performed.
and NEWSPA alumni, will share
ation, and it is also important for A final realistic expectation is
their experiences on what to ex-
young adults to know. She said the being frustrated and impatient.
pect from your first post-college
overall skills from her high school Job searching can be a long and
job in their presentation at the
newspaper work helped her land stressful process. Just remember
2018 NEWSPA conference. The
her current job, where she has the hiring process is a process. It is
two will also address how to obtain
learned that critical thinking skills unrealistic to believe you will apply
professional skills, be realistic with
are incredibly important. for a job, interview and receive an
pay and duties as an entry level
According to a career expert at offer within one week. Be patient,
employee and how to value time
Monster.com, there is a set of ex- stay positive and keep sending out
in the company. Their session be-
pectations that should be consid- your resume.
Stand up and storytell; Mixing storytelling, advertising
is my favorite way to tell a story, but ways writing for an audience, and
Karly Curtin it’s not always the answer,” Thom- sometimes the audience doesn’t
Journalism Student as said. like what I like,” Thomas explained.
But comedy helped Thomas get “You have to learn to balance satis-
F
unny? Check. Creative? to where he is today. “One of the fying yourself, satisfying the client,
Check. Instagram cat pic classic rules of improv is to just be and (most importantly) satisfying
lover? Check! honest. That commitment to hon- your audience.”
Young professional and self-pro- esty is just as important when I’m Despite the obstacles faced as
claimed media junkie, Joel Thom- telling a brand’s story,” Thomas a creative, it’s important to stay
as, is able to check off just some said. inspired. “I stay inspired by con-
of the things it’s taken for him to When telling a brand’s story, stantly consuming creative work:
succeed in mixing storytelling and Thomas said it’s important to re- film, books, art, Instagram pics of
advertising together. member that in advertising, there’s cats, etc.,” Thomas said. “Every
Thomas, a NEWSPA alumnus a reason that creating a story is story is basically a new version of
and creative writer at Tom, Dick called storytelling and not story a story that’s already been told,
and Harry Creative in Chicago, will selling. “If I can tell a compelling so I think it’s important for people
present “Storytelling in Advertis- story about a brand, everything in any creative field to never stop
ing” at the 2018 spring NEWSPA else will fall into place,” Thomas consuming.”
conference. said. Thomas will share more of his
Thomas said he had a lot to The hardest part about story- insights about storytelling in adver-
learn himself when he transitioned telling for Thomas is accepting tising in Reeve 227AB, beginning
into creative advertising. “Comedy that creativity is subjective. “I’m al- at 10:10 a.m.
NEWSPA 2018
10How a short summer seminar
can jumpstart the school year
year more manageable. “Investing journalism work ahead of them
Jaimee Pitt a little time in the summer, when can create a lot of energy and ex-
everyone is a little less stressed, citement to start the publication
Journalism Student can have big payoffs in starting theyear off strong.”
year strong,” Ramponi said. “Plus, As an adviser, if you are interest-
T
for a teacher/adviser, it helps to ed in putting on a summer sem-
he beginning of the school get the publication work started at inar yourself, Ramponi has some
year can be crazy busy, a time you can give it your focus, advice to help get things running
so why not tap into sum- rather than trying to juggle your up-
as smoothly as possible.
mer’s good vibes and start your coming course loads and publica- “Get the students to help plan it;
publication off strong? tions work at the busy beginning of empower them to make decisions
Appleton North High School En- a school year.” and make it their own. Invite local
glish teacher Aaron Ramponi will During this session, advisers will
media professionals to come pres-
present an adviser-only sesssion, learn how a short summer semi- ent or be a part of it -- often they
“Make Summer Funner: How a nar, anywhere from one day to two will, for no cost beyond a cup of
short Summer Sem- coffee and a ba-
inar can Help” at the gel,” Ramponi said.
April 18 NEWSPA “Get the dates of
conference. He will the seminar on the
discuss how summer calendar early --
seminars can help before the school
bond your team, pro- year is even done.
mote leadership and Summer fills up
set the groundwork quickly with travel
for a strong start to dates and work.
the school year. You want as many
The key takeaways members of your
from his NEWSPA team there as pos-
presentation include sible, so schedule
team-building activ- it early and save
ities, creating official the dates.”
press passes for staff, Ramponi said
an exercise on ratify- students always
ing a code of ethics, enjoy taking sum-
Photo courtesy of: Pixabay
sample agendas for Summer Sessions can be both fun and productive. mer classes and
a two-day workshop, that they have fun
and tips on preparing your first weeks, can benefit not only advis- and feel a part of something im-
publication. Ramponi will also offer ers, but students as well. Ramponi portant. He said his favorite part
some tips on how to successfully said: “Students are generally less about offering summer seminars is
run a summer seminar while keep- stressed, less busy, and some- “…seeing the team click and hear-
ing it fun for everyone. times even just bored. Getting to- ing the excitement they have for
Adopting a summer seminar as gether with their team and spend- the work to come.”
an adviser can help keep the work- ing some time having fun, bonding His session begins at 8:30 a.m.
load at the beginning of the school and thinking about the important in Reeve 227BC.
NEWSPA 2018 11How to thrive in this age
of multimedia journalism
Hannah Thorn
Journalism Student
W
ish you could spend
all day writing and
talking about football?
Alex Gelhar doesn’t have to wish.
The NFL writer/editor and
NEWSPA alumnus is back for his
third year speaking at NEWSPA.
Gelhar will be talking about the
importance of using various plat-
forms and mediums for storytell-
ing, as well as how to use those
platforms and mediums across
social media sites to differentiate Photo courtesy of: Alex Gelhar
yourself from the competition. Alex Gelhar (left) records his conversation with Packers Defensive End
Before Gelhar spent time in Mike Daniels for his podcast, “NFL Fantasy LIVE podcast,” which he pro-
sunny California, he grew up in duces twice a week.
Oshkosh and graduated from
Oshkosh West. He next went to which he produces twice a week. that stuff takes practice,” he said.
Marquette University in Milwaukee He gets to meet and talk with dif- “Start practicing that now. It is in-
where he landed several intern- ferent NFL players, like Packers creasingly important.”
ships writing and producing video defensive end Mike Daniels. That’s because he has seen the
content for different companies. Gelhar said he hopes his pre- shift that companies are making
After college, he moved to Los An- sentation will teach students how toward putting more content online
geles to work for an independent to succeed in the ever-chang- and in a video format; he predicts
production company that worked ing media landscape. “Media is that it will only increase so students
on smaller Indie films. A contact evolving,” he said. “Many compa- should be prepared for that.
told him about an opening that the nies are pivoting to video, which Even though he spends a lot of
NFL had in their Digital Features students can use to help elevate time creating content for video and
department. Gelhar thought that themselves and stand out.” online mediums, Gelhar is a tradi-
it was the perfect opportunity to Gelhar also believes in the “prac- tionalist when it comes to his fa-
combine his experience in video tice makes perfect” mantra. He vorite mediums. He is a fan of the
and producing and his passion urges students to start practicing written word because of the cre-
for football. He got the job in 2012 being on camera now, so that ativity and freedom that it allows.
and spent a year with the Digi- when they are ready to enter the He believes that there will always
tal Features team before moving job field they are ready and able be a place for traditional journal-
to the Fantasy Football depart- to differentiate themselves. “Being ism. “We are always going to need
ment. He now writes fantasy foot- able to be comfortable on cam- it and have it,” Gelhar said.
ball advice columns and talks on era, and speaking eloquently and His session will begin at 9:20
the “NFL Fantasy LIVE podcast,” confidently on radio and podcasts, a.m. in Reeve 220.
NEWSPA 2018
12Consuming and creating media
come.” there are important differences.”
Lance Gulotta Remmel does warn that not all The topics Remmel will touch on
Journalism Student days are big news days. “It’s on at NEWSPA will be the big-picture
the run-of-the-mill days that you approach to design and media
A
n award-winning lead have to make sure you’re still doing consumption. Remmel will review
news enterprise design- all the right things to visually com- tips and tricks for designing the
er from the Detroit Free municate stories to the reader,” he best page possible, but also talk
Press will be a featured present- said. “These normal days are prac- about InDesign design features.
er at this year’s NEWSPA confer- tice for when big news strikes – if He will teach the value of the rough
ence. I’m doing my job well day in and sketch, what makes a good page
Tyler Remmel, a NEWSPA and day out and if I follow the process, great, communicating ideas effi-
Hartford Union High School alum- I’ll be able to keep a clear head ciently through words, and the im-
nus, has worked for the USA TO- and steady hand when I need to portance of personal growth.
DAY NETWORK for five years and step up the design to match the Remmel will also cover his dai-
has been a part of hard-hitting news at hand.” ly news consumption routine that
stories, the most recent being the He says run-of-the-mill days are keeps him in the know and on top
trial of Larry Nassar, the longtime where good routines keep you on of the biggest breaking stories.
doctor at Michigan State and USA your toes. “Routines are essential Remmel said: “I’ve been able to
Gymnastics charged with sexually because they will allow a design- grow quickly as a designer be-
assaulting young gymnasts. er to maintain consistency. Every cause I never take a break from
Remmel said a typical week page every day may not be great, the news. Every morning, I am
starts out with him sorting through but I am not the pages I did yester- looking at front pages from around
story lineups sent in from journal- day. As a designer, it’s important to the country, reading newsletters,
ists in Detroit. With those lineups in judge yourself based on what you reading stories.”
mind, he will sketch out the section bring to the table, not what you put His presentation begins at 10:10
and make sure that the pages put on the page. They’re related, but a.m. in Reeve 212B
stories and jumps into appropriate
locations. Then he will check for
consistent page flow and ensure
that the typesetting will be done
in time for the plateroom to begin
running copies for the next morn-
ing’s paper. Toward the end of the
week, Remmel works on projects
that are set to run on later dates.
These projects include the Sun-
day cover and jump pages.
When it comes to big news,
Remmel lives for it. When design-
ing the front page for the breaking
story of the Nassar trial, Remmel
said, “When the editors in Detroit
pitched the idea, I knew immedi-
ately that a statement page like
this would evoke an emotional
response from readers, but I had Photos courtesy of: Tyler Remmel
no idea just how big it would be- Two of Tyler Remmel’s recent award-winning front pages for coverage of
the Larry Nassar trial.
NEWSPA 2018 13Creative ways to structure news
where she works for a larger pa- pyramid.
Nikki Brahm per, The Greenville News. “You basically cut your work time
PR Assistant “When it comes time to accept in half and provide all the informa-
a job, I basically choose the one tion people would want to know
D
that sounds the most fun,” Walters without making them read an en-
on’t listen to the naysay-
said. “I chose Havasu because I tire story,” Walters said.
ers, Haley Walters said.
loved the southwest and the city Walters said alternative story for-
Journalism can be a re-
looked interesting to cover. I fig- mats are important because jour-
warding career.
ured I was going to be broke no nalists have a lot to compete with
Walters know that firsthand.
matter where I lived, so I might as today.
From roots in Wisconsin, to a job
well live where I could drink Coro- “If you can package a story in a
opportunity in Arizona, to another
nas on the beach after work.” clever way that catches a reader’s
job opportunity now in South Car-
While at UW Oshkosh, Walters attention and doesn’t take them
olina, this well-traveled UW Os-
majored in journalism and minored 20 minutes to read, it’s much more
hkosh alumna will return to Wis-
in political science, and was in- likely they’ll read it and remember
consin on April 18 where she will
volved on campus in different or- it,” Walters said. “It also helps set
discuss alternative news stories
ganizations and clubs. She wrote your work apart when you’re ap-
at NEWSPA, focusing on creative
for the student newspaper, the plying for jobs or awards. For ex-
ways to structure news and infor-
Advance-Titan, and was involved ample, I put together a story about
mation.
in the Society of Professional Jour- the 50-year anniversary of the Ha-
Walters moved to Arizona imme-
nalists and Photo Club. vasu Fire Department using audio
diately after graduation where she
Walters started attending clips of some of the original fire
worked for Today’s News Herald,
NEWSPA while she was a student fighters telling their favorite stories.
a small paper in Lake Havasu City.
at Hartford Union High School and It won a few awards and saved me
She now lives in South Carolina
in college helped orga- a few hours of writing.”
nize the conference as Walters said aspiring journal-
NEWSPA’s PR assistant. ists should get ready to work their
“[NEWSPA] helped me butts off and figure the rest out on
realize journalism could their own.
actually be a rewarding “When Pat Stiegman from ESPN
career,” Walters said. came to speak at NEWSPA he
“Everyone at the time talked about how you don’t neces-
was saying that journal- sarily have to be the best writer or
ism was never going to best photographer or best whatev-
survive because anyone er-it-is you do, you just have to be
with a blog could be a willing to outwork everyone around
reporter. Then I met real you,” Walters said. “And it’s true.
reporters at NEWSPA That means putting in long hours,
and saw what it actually sacrificing some weekends and
took to be a journalist.” always being on the lookout for
Walters will be speak- your next story. Your first, second,
ing about alternative third jobs are probably not going to
story formats at the con- be your dream jobs, but as long
ference and said they’re as you keep working, even when
important to be familiar you don’t feel like it, you’ll get your
Photo courtesy of: NEWSPA Archives
with because not every dream job.”
Haley Walters (left) working at the NEWSPA story is best told using Walters’ session begins at 9:20
conference when she attended UW Oshkosh. the traditional inverted a.m. in Reeve 210.
NEWSPA 2018
14Getting an internship may be easier than you think
Lindsey Frieler
Journalism Student
A
cquiring two or more in-
ternships while in college
may sound daunting, but
it’s entirely possible. Just ask UW
Oshkosh students Kaitlin Biersach
and Laura Dickinson.
Biersach is currently a public
relations intern for The Herd, Os-
Kaitlin Biersach Laura Dickinson
hkosh’s G League affiliate for the
Milwaukee Bucks, and previously
home can seem really scary, but extremely important to success,”
worked for the TV Academy as
she said: “I would do it all over she said, noting that her internship
a public relations/publicity intern.
again. Getting an out-of-state in- with the Herd was helped by the
Dickinson is now interning as a
ternship experience gives you a connections she had with an em-
marketing/public relations intern
different perspective not only on ployee for the Bucks.
at the Wisconsin Family Business
your area of study, but sometimes In addition to adding to your net-
Forum, but previously worked as
on life, too.” work, internships also help with
an editorial intern with Milwaukee
By applying for internships your skill set. Dickinson said that
Magazine.
throughout the country, you open working at Milwaukee Magazine
Every internship is different, in-
yourself up to new and exciting improved her editing, feature writ-
cluding the application process.
opportunities that may not be ing and interviewing skills. Now that
Dickinson said the application for
available close to home. Dickin- she is working at Wisconsin Family
Milwaukee Magazine was online
son said that pushing yourself out Business Forum, she is “learning
and required published clips of
of your comfort zone “forces you how to write for a company and
her work. The application proce-
to adapt and to learn about differ- how to market it effectively.” She
dure for the TV Academy, howev-
ent places.” If moving across the is writing pieces that directly reflect
er, was more extensive, Biersach
country seems too scary, try mov- the company and said that it is im-
said. “I had an electronic applica-
ing to a new city not too far from portant to represent the company
tion including a statement, cover
home because that can be a good the way that the company wants
letter, resume and letters of rec-
change and offer valuable experi- to be represented.
ommendation,” she said. “Once
ences. Biersach said her internships
I made it through the preliminary
Networking is another major have helped her to expand her
round, I had to submit a video of
benefit of having multiple intern- public relations skills, improving
myself answering multiple ques-
ships. Dickinson said she would existing skills while developing new
tions regarding my interest in the
not have gotten her internship at ones. “I’ve learned the most about
entertainment industry.” Both said
Wisconsin Family Business Forum event execution because that’s not
it is beneficial to have experiences
if it weren’t for networking. She talk- something you learn in the class-
from clubs and organizations on
ed with friends who were familiar room,” she said. “You don’t know
your resume.
with the Business Success Cen- how to troubleshoot certain issues
One nice thing about internships
ter and from there she was able to until you’re in the situation.” Intern-
is that they are offered all over the
land the internship. Biersach also ships are also an excellent way to
country. While interning for the
said that networking is a big deal learn about a career path and see
TV Academy, Biersach moved to
when it comes to acquiring intern- if it is or is not for you, they said.
Los Angeles, California, for the
ships. “Networking has been cru- Their presentation begins at
summer. Moving so far away from
cial in securing internships and is 8:30 a.m. in Reeve 221.
15
NEWSPA 20182017-18 Board Members
Jeff Carter, President (2020) Beth Plankey (2020)
The Hartford Chronicle (newspaper) The Satellite (Online Newspaper)
Hartford High School Neenah High School
805 Cedar St., Hartford, WI 53027 1275 Tullar Road, Neenah, WI
262-670-3272 920-751-6900, ext. 16228
jeff.carter@huhs.org bplankey@neenah.k12.wi.us
Susan Carlson (2018) Aaron Ramponi (2020)
The Hi-Light (newspaper) Noctiluca (newspaper)
Green Bay East High School Appleton North High School
1415 E. Walnut St., Green Bay, WI 54301-4305 5000 N. Ballard Road, Appleton, WI 54913-8942
920-448-2090 920-832-4300
scarlson@greenbay.k12.wi.us ramponiaaron@aasd.k12.wi.us
Lucas Cleary (2018) Matt Smith (2019)
Hi-Lights (newspaper) Cardinal Columns (newspaper)
Plymouth High School Fond Du Lac High School
125 S. Highland Ave., Plymouth, WI 53073-2599 801 Campus Drive, Fond du Lac, WI 54935
920-893-6911, ext. 1538 920-238-9255
lcleary@plymouth.k12.wi.us smithm@fonddulac.k12.wi.us
Jason Cummings (2018) Heather Vande Sande (2019)
North Star (newspaper) Common Sense (newspaper)
Oshkosh North High School Cedarburg High School
1100 W. Smith Ave., Oshkosh, WI 54901-1896 W68 N611 Evergreen Boulevard
920-424-4020, ext. 682 Cedarburg, WI 53012
jason.cummings@oshkosh.k12.wi.us 262-376-6330
hjohnson@cedarburg.wi.us
Michele Gaestel (2020) Contacts at UW-Oshkosh
The Hi-Light (newspaper)
Green Bay East High School Mailing Address: NEWSPA
1415 E. Walnut St., Green Bay, WI 54301 Department of Journalism
(920)-448-2090 UW-Oshkosh
mlfarnsworth@gbaps.org 800 Algoma Blvd.
Oshkosh, WI 54901-8696
Amy Karoses (2019) Barbara Benish, Executive Secretary
Notebook (yearbook) 920-424-7145 Fax: 920-424-7146 benish@uwosh.edu
Oshkosh West High School
375 N. Eagle St., Oshkosh, WI 54902-4294 Taylore Radtke, PR Assistant
920-424-4092; fax: 920-424-4950 262-353-8720 Fax: 920-424-7146 radtkt11@uwosh.edu
amy.karoses@oshkosh.k12.wi.us
Nikki Brahm, PR Assistant
Shannon Kuehmichel (2018) 262-844-0697 Fax: 920-424-7146 brahmn31@uwosh.edu
Red ‘n’ Green (newspaper)
Berlin High School Cindy Schultz, Academic Program Associate
222 Memorial Dr., Berlin, WI 54923-1252 920-424-1042 Fax: 920-424-7146 schultzc@uwosh.edu
920-361-2000, ext. 1815
Website: http://journalism.uwosh.edu/northeastern-wisconsin-scholas-
skuehmichel@berlin.k12.wi.us tic-press-association-newspa/
Sara Klein (2019)
Reflectioins (yearbook) https://www.facebook.com/pages/Northeastern-Wisconsin-Scho-
Oshkosh North High School lastic-Press-Association-NEWSPA/571474942866234
1100 W. Smith Ave., Oshkosh, WI 54901-1896
920-424-4020, ext.
sara.marquardt@oshkosh.k12.wi.usa https://www.Twitter.com/NEWSPAYou can also read
