The Jets Flyover staff traveled to the National Student Press Association/Journalism Education Association (NSPA/JEA) Fall National High School Journalism Convention held at the Gaylord Opryland Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, on Nov. 13 to Nov. 16. In addition to the conference, students enjoyed a guided tour organized by Mrs. Nunes around the music city: Vanderbilt University, the Parthenon and downtown Nashville.

The convention kicked off with a keynote address from Pulitzer Prize winners on Thursday. “On the first day, when I walked into the award ceremony ballroom, I was honestly surprised by the atmosphere. The most striking part was seeing so many passionate student journalists from all over the world, each representing their own publications,” said sophomore Kaylie Jeong. 

On the next day, the staff participated in workshops from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., with 45 minute sessions every hour. Leanne Yoon, Editor-in-Chief, proudly presented in three. “It went so much better than I expected, because in total around 150 people showed up. I could share the know-how that I learned for the Jets Flyover with other journalists around the world. It was a really proud moment for me as a student journalist,” said Yoon. 

Attendees reflected on their positive takeaways from Yoon’s presentation. “I’ve struggled with operating multiple programs at the same time, being forced upon me and gathering material and knowing what to teach, how to teach it, when there are so many things out there. I can see the passion from you guys. I want my kids to get there as well,” said Charlie Anderson, the media publications teacher at Hutto Middle School, Texas. 

Student leaders also walked back with renewed motivation. “I saw how passionate [Leanne was], with all the slides. I’ll know how to get more kids to be engaged in my school and how to build a journalism program at my high school,” said Lyle Henry, yearbook editor at Bloomington High School North in Indiana. 

The day wrapped up with sets of on-site contests led by various on-field professionals, from news writing to photography.

On day three, the journalists attended several more rounds of workshops then wrapped up with the National Scholastic Press Association Best of Show award ceremony for previously submitted work. Three members from the staff (Sophie Lee, Bonnie Kim and Jules Youn) earned accolades, with two juniors Lee and Kim placing first in both broadcast news and broadcast feature category. “The word that kept to my mind was: wow. On our way back to our seats [after one award], our names were announced again,” said Lee.

Lee attributed her shared success to an analysis of prior winners. “I analyzed a lot of the videos on the NSPA website for past winners, and I found a pattern among the videos. I tried to incorporate such patterns in my video,” she said. 

In addition, freshman Youn earned second place recognition in reporting in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion category for her article on representation gaps within the international school curriculum.

“I wrote about the Kansung Museum because I thought that our school students not really knowing about the museum was problematic because it’s an important museum.  I believe I won the award because I did a lot of interviews, especially with the museum curators and teachers from Korean schools and their students, “ Youn said. 

The convention ended with a day of networking, a closing ceremony and the prizes for the Journalism Education Association National Student Media Contests. The team earned seven awards in vast categories from review writing to press law and ethics. 

Despite entering an unfamiliar category, Jeong ultimately earned first place in Broadcast News Writing. “I researched the category because broadcast newswriting was something I had never done before. I asked our advisor for feedback on how I could improve, and that helped me a lot. Even though I was nervous competing in a category I had no prior experience with, I tried my best, and I’m happy with how it turned out,” Jeong said.

Park, now in his fifth year on the staff and first in the daytime journalism class, accumulated breadth and depth to his music collection and writing experience. “There was a lot of pressure when I did the competition but I think I had superior musical knowledge compared to everyone else so I could write freely about the given prompt. I was really surprised when I won, but I was happy and proud of myself,” said Park. 

Students left with new skills and a clearer sense of direction as they look ahead to next year’s convention in Orlando, Florida. “Overall, the experience taught me what it takes to become a better journalist and helped me imagine how I can continue growing in high school journalism, instead of letting it end with just one after school activity,” Jeong said. 

Congratulations to the winners at NSPA:

NSPA (National Scholastic Press Association) — Best of Show

2025 Broadcast | News: Sophie Lee & Bonnie Kim 
2025 Broadcast | Feature: Sophie Lee & Bonnie Kim
2025 Reporting | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Jules Youn

JEA NSMC (Journalism Education Association National Student Media Contests)

Online Contest

2025 [Excellence] Graphic Design | Advertising: Ellen Cho

On-site Contest

2025 [Superior] Review Writing: CJ Park
2025 [Excellence] Broadcasting News Writing: Kaylie Jeong
2025 [Honorable Mention] Press Laws and Ethics: Justin Huh
2025 [Honorable Mention] Literary Magazine | Photography: Esther Choi
2025 [Honorable Mention] Video Packaging Editing: Sophie Lee
2025 [Honorable Mention] Broadcast Anchor: Sally Lee