On Monday, October 3, three of the Tiger Times staff attended the VHSL Media Championship Conference at the Greater Richmond Convention Center to observe some interesting lectures and peruse around the streets of Richmond. Groups involved in the conference included newspaper, yearbook, and other staffs involved with production of media for schools in Virginia. There were five lecture blocks with eight lectures going on at once to choose from. The conference was a fairly casual schedule, probably resembling that of a day in college.
The first lecture attended was called “This I Believe” and was given by C. Waugaman. The discussion involved writing opinion papers and not letting potential readers deter beliefs. Second was entitled “Photography Workflow," with M. Murray. For the most part, he was explaining basics of photoshop and how to apply skills to articles or yearbook editorials. The next, “Engage, Listen and Follow Up” with B. Watterson, was probably the most interesting of the batch. Watterson helped the audience understand what the readers want to hear. The next two attended, also done by Watterson, were “Think Like a Beginner Again” and “Eliminate Cookie Cutter Photography." What he was trying to get his attendees to understand with his lecture was that you should try to spice things up and try new things to impress the ever-changing audiences that people will face.
There was a short break between the third and fourth lecture, and during this time, the staff wandered around the streets of Downtown Richmond and the Jackson Ward district. Many exciting sights were seen, such as the Capitol building and statues. The general aura of the area was very metropolitan and diverse.