As a finalist for the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) Crown Award, Achona has been invited to present two sessions at the CSPA convention at Columbia University in New York City on March 20-22.
In “What We Learned at Poynter, ” Co-Editor Caroline de Quesada and Adviser Mrs. Edie LeBas will share how the adviser and editors of a start-up online newspaper created a “new journalism” curriculum from scratch two years ago. deQuesada will include social media part of her presentation.
In “Always Under Construction,” Mrs. LeBas and Creative Media Editor KeTaira Phillips will share how innovation and collaboration thrive in a start-up journalism class that supports an online newspaper for 380 students.
Since August 2012, weekly readership of Achona has grown from 300 to over 1000 readers. Listed in the top 10 qualifiers for the digital newspaper category, Achona will receive either the Gold or Silver Crown on the last day of the 89th Annual Scholastic Convention at Columbia University on March 20-22.
Also attending the convention will be senior Alexandra Gerecke and sophomore Rachel Anderson. Echoes adviser and teacher Sister Lisa Perkowski will attend the yearbook sessions of the conference.
The CSPA is a program affiliated with the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University in New York City. Last year, 3,255 students and advisors attended CSPA Conference.
