Recently, thirteen students from the next generation of WHS journalists attended the fifth annual journalism conference known as Media Matters. The conference was held at UMass Boston on November 5th for high school students and teachers.

Throughout the day, the students were offered a variety of workshops ranging from “Dunkin Donuts Goes National” to “Having Impact: How Journalists Change the World”. Workshops specifically helped students and teachers to grow as writers.

Stephanie Johnston, a WHS Freshmen who attended the conference thought, “It was really interesting and we got a lot of good tips.”

“The conference was very interesting and informational in a way different than learning in a classroom because we learned at our own will,” remarked Kim Orr, a sophomore who also participated in the conference.

“As a teacher, I found it to be very informative, especially the revision workshop (The Language of Revision: Helping Students Find Value in the Revision Process),” commented Mrs. Stoker, Journalism I/II teacher.

And co-Journalism teacher Mr. Masciarelli’s final thoughts on the conference: “I thought it was great, I learned a lot, and it was free!”

A total of 54 workshops were held, mostly led by staff members from The Boston Globe. The guest speaker was investigative reporter and mystery writer Hank Phillipi Ryan, who spoke to teachers at lunch. The goal of the conference was to show students the importance of the media, to realize the affect it has on society, and to model how to become better writers.

At the end of the day, the students learned a lot, and are now applying their new found skills to their daily work. “I’ve seen the Journalism II students become more professional broadcasters since the conference,” Mr. Masciarelli said, “I would absolutely do it again.”