Shamil Issayev (10), Harshit Bhatt (10), Olivia Hernandez (12), Jackson Stocker (11), Isa Bartelt (12), Ms. Janae Lapp
By Jackson Stocker ‘27
On March 19th through the 20th, the Valley Voice editor team attended the 102th Annual Columbia Scholastic Press Conference in Morningside Heights, New York City.
The editor team of the Valley Voice alongside Ms. Janae Lapp, the current advisor and Mrs. Mel Upton, the former advisor, traveled to New York City to enjoy the conference and tour the city.
“The Columbia Scholastic Press Association conference in New York City was outstanding, with the sessions being led by current professionals in the journalism field that truly elevated the experience,” said Mrs. Upton.
The conference was split into three days. Each day had multiple sessions. Each session was around 45 minutes, and had one focus or topic.
Shamil Issayev (10), secretary for the Valley Voice said, “I obtained valuable information about podcasting (something quite important for one of my tasks), promotion, photo-editing, ideas, story structure, and a lot more.”
Journalism and Yearbook publication staff from all over the country came to this conference. Some sessions were specialized for one over the other, while others were relevant to both groups.
Each session was built to seem like a real college class, with lecture style teaching and then a small activity towards the end of the session, engaging attendees with the material they were taught.
Harshit Bhatt (10), sports editor for the Valley Voice, said, “Being surrounded by high-level student work made me realize that what I considered strong was often just complete, not impactful. The best pieces were intentional, with every choice serving a clear purpose. That pushed me to change how I approach Valley Voice, focusing less on finishing articles and more on writing with clarity, stronger angles, and real audience engagement.”
While the content was an incredible part of the trip, the partipants appreciated the interactions among the team just as much.
“What impressed me most was our Valley Voice editors,” said Mrs. Upton. “Their engagement and professionalism were evident throughout, and their growth as a team made the trip especially meaningful.”
“My highlight was the three-hour train ride back to Lancaster,” said Ms. Lapp. “We talked the whole time about what ideas we wanted to take back from the conference to make Valley Voice stronger. It made me excited to plan for next year!”
Issayev added, “Not only did I get to learn more as an editor, but I also got to know more about my fellow editor officers and Mrs. Lapp. I met with an amazing person, Mrs. Upton, by engaging in prolonged conversations full of enthusiasm and humor!”
Bhatt said that he “really enjoyed the trip, especially the conversations that we had throughout the trip and it reset how I think about journalism.”