Media in Music City: 2025 National High School Journalism Convention
Above: GILDED INSIGHT: iliad Literary-Art Magazine Managing Editor Finley Sleppy (far left) and Editor-in-Chief Margo McDaniel (middle) conference with Mark Murray, Columbia Scholastic Press Advisers Association (CSPAA) Chair of Committee on New Technology, (far right) during an on-site media critique at Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn., during the Fall 2025 National High School Journalism Convention (NHSJC) on Nov. 15. McDaniel described the 30-minute critique with Murray as insightful, inspiring further brainstorming for future projects. “(Murray) wasn't (just) nitpicking our individual design or writing (and) art pieces. He talked to us a lot about the process of making the magazine and what went into it,” McDaniel said. “He gave us a lot of good feedback and ideas that we can apply to our magazine this year that would make it better than last year.” Photo courtesy of Chris Waugaman
iliad Literary-Art Magazine and ODYSSEY Media Group Editorial Board members participated in the 2025 Fall National High School Journalism Convention in Nashville, Tenn., from Nov. 13 to Nov. 15.
From Nov. 12 to Nov. 16, a group of 17 ODYSSEY Media Group and iliad Literary-Art Magazine editors traveled to Nashville, Tenn. to attend the Fall 2025 National High School Journalism Convention hosted by the Journalism Education Association (JEA) and the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA).
The convention began on Nov. 13 with pre-convention sessions ranging from half a day to a full day, allowing students to learn about a variety of journalistic domains from law and ethics to design. iliad Editor-in-Chief Margo McDaniel attended a yearbook design session: “Yearbook design bootcamp” presented by Whitney High School Student Media adviser Sarah Nichols, to build comfortability with digital design programs like Adobe InDesign.
“The session was a good refresher of basic design principles like contrast and proportion,” McDaniel said. “We got to review many award-winning spreads, practice some designing of our own and get feedback from people from other schools in the session, which I found to be insightful.”
After the pre-convention sessions, the convention kicked off with an opening ceremony followed by two days of learning sessions presented by advisers and students from visiting journalism programs and other journalistic professionals from across the country. iliad Social Media Coordinator Scarlett Alston attended a session about the fundamentals of photography: “Photo basics: Three things I can control” presented by Westwood Baptist Academy journalism and business teacher Kyle Carter.
“(Carter) was very interactive and (talked about) things I never knew before, and he had a very good way of explaining and letting us visualize (different photographs),” Alston said.
Above: ALL AROUND FUN: ODYSSEY Media Group and iliad Literary-Art Magazine Social Media Coordinators Edie Ash (left) and Scarlett Alston (right) ride a carousel in the Opry Mills Mall in Nashville, Tenn. on Nov. 12. OMG Digital Editor in-Chief Lea D’Angelo enjoyed the opportunity to develop connections with other editors on the trip. “I feel like (the trip) was a good way for ODYSSEY and iliad (editors) to come together,” D’Angelo said. “This year, I feel like we started fresh a bit more (than last year, and) we didn't know each other as much, (so) it was a good way for us as a group to get to know each other very well.” Photo by Grady Dunston
On Nov. 15, JEA and NSPA held its annual awards ceremony for this year’s nominated journalism programs and their work. iliad staff members received several individual awards, as well as a sixth-place Best in Show recognition for their 2025 magazine “Sound & Color.” Class of 2025 Clarke Central High School graduate and former iliad Editor-in-Chief Olivia Hendershot designed the 2025 magazine and was grateful for the opportunity to attend conferences like these when she was a part of the program.
“I remember seeing my (2023) Editor-in-Chief (Kaija Gilbertson Hall) win awards for the magazines she designed, and it was a big motivator for me to produce award-winning content,” Hendershot said. “I hope the current and future iliad teams will get that same motivation to strive for excellence.”
Above: TRUSTED TAKEAWAYS: ODYSSEY Media Group and iliad Literary-Art Magazine editors pose in an elevator at Gaylord Opryland Resort & Hotel in Nashville, Tenn. on Nov. 14. iliad Editor-in-Chief Margo McDaniel reflected on the trip and its importance, regarding staff culture. “For me, I think that sometimes when we're so focused on work all the time, it can be hard to remember that we are in this for fun, and we are in this for each other,” McDaniel said. “So it was just really fun to see (everyone) let loose a little bit and just really enjoy (themselves).” Photo by Peter Atchley
To conclude the trip, the editors reflected on how success and hard work shouldn’t only be appreciated during these occasions but should consistently empower one another throughout the year. OMG and iliad adviser David Ragsdale hoped the trip would empower students to focus on the core elements of the program.
“This group (of editors) needs to trust each other (and) learn not to take things for granted, especially (with) the limited time we have together,” Ragsdale said. “(They) need to realize if we get ourselves together, we can be amazing.”
Story by Finley Sleppy
Finley Sleppy is a junior at Clarke Central High School in Athens, Georgia and is the Managing Editor for the iliad Literary-Art Magazine. This year, she hopes to grow as a leader and overall creative person by trying things out of her comfort zone and supporting the CCHS community creatively. In her free time, she enjoys playing music, eating all different types of food and hanging out with her friends and family.