As junior and assistant editor of the Dimensions Yearbook Georgia Lindenauer, looked around at other yearbooks on display, she took note of features that she could replicate in Dimensions.

What Lindenauer was looking at was the annually published Jostens Look Book, a compilation of the best spreads and covers from yearbooks that year. This is just one part of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s (CSPA) annual Spring Scholastic Convention.

Fifteen student journalists and two teachers from CESJDS traveled to Columbia University for the 100th annual CSPA spring convention, which was held from Mar. 13 through Mar. 15. Attending students were all either members of The Lion’s Tale (LT) or the Dimensions Yearbook. JDS students and teachers have been attending the conference for 40 years, and this was Lindenauer’s second time attending.

CSPA is meant to connect student journalists and educate them on topics such as law and ethics and writing. It hosted student editors and faculty advisers that participate in any type of publication.

Attendees of the conference were able to choose from over 220 sessions that covered a variety of topics in journalism, attending around 14 sessions over the three days. Many sessions hosted guest speakers, including National Public Radio (NPR)’s Stephen Thompson and the 2021 H.L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year Mike Simons. Examples of sessions available include “Covering Scandal” and “How to Write Award-Worthy Opinion Articles,” as well as multiple sessions about journalism ethics.

“My favorite one [session] was the theme development where [the speaker] talked about the new trends for the upcoming year,” sophomore Ella Longman said, adding that she learned more about “how to go forward [with] creating the yearbook for next year.”

Director of Publications Jessica Nassau and photography teacher and High School DEIJ Coordinator Debra White-Dilworth chaperoned the conference. The conference attendees also got the opportunity to sit down with an experienced publications adviser and have their publications critiqued.

“It’s really good because they tell you what they like and they tell you where you can improve,” Nassau, who is the adviser of both the yearbook and newspaper, said. “So that was really helpful.”

The students also attended an off-Broadway play about journalism called “The Connector,” visited the International Center of Photography (ICP) and ate at several kosher restaurants

“I thought that [the ICP] was a really cool place to go and see a lot of different types of photography … from different people who are obviously really talented,” Lindenauer said.

Another part of the conference was the announcement of the CSPA Crown and Gold Circle award recipients. LT and Dimensions staff decided which articles or spreads to submit to the competition, along with over 500 publications from around the country.

The LT and Dimensions won 18 awards between them. The LT won a Gold Crown, while Dimensions won a Silver Crown. Lindenauer was one of the individual merit award recipients, winning an award for her article in last year’s edition of Dimensions, “So Much.” Both publications’ staff won second place for headline writing in their respective categories, along with many other awards for stories and designs.

“It was a really good bonding experience for all the people on yearbook,” Longman said. “…We all feel very connected and [are] on the same page now … that puts us at a really great point for next year.”