Montana High School Journalists Nab Awards, Get a Feel for the UM J-School

Nearly 200 high school students from across Montana filled the halls of the University of Montana School of Journalism on Thursday, March 22 for the annual Montana Journalism Education Association awards and High School Journalism Day at UM.

Students took home awards at the awards banquet and then skills and knowledge from eleven different workshops, ranging from TV production to telling stories with Instagram, offered by School of Journalism professors.

To download and see the full list of High School Journalism Day awards, click here.

Below, you’ll find a gallery of some of the moments we captured at High School J-Day. Click on any image to view the gallery.

High school students learn the ins and outs of video and TV production during High School Journalism Day. Photo by Todd Goodrich.

High school journalists get experience with the green screen in the studio at the the University of Montana School of Journalism. Photo by Todd Goodrich.

University of Montana, School of Journalism, High School Day, Group Photo by Adjunct Instructor Lido Vizzutti

Students get hands-on experience in the studio at High School Journalism Day. Photo by Professor Kevin Tompkins.

UM President Seth Bodnar joins UM J-School students in welcoming nearly 200 high school journalists to UM. Photo by Jamie Drysdale.

Students gather in the University Center Ballroom for the kick off of High School Journalism Day. Photo by Jamie Drysdale.

Montana JEA State Director/Mentor Linda Ballew gives the Montana High School Journalist of the Year Award to Aston Kinsella of Sentinel High School. Photo by Jamie Drysdale.

Students rush for the buzzers during Dennis Swibold’s “Fake News Game Show.” Photo by Jamie Drysdale.

Professor Dennis Swibold moderates his Fake News Game Show, in which students guess, “Is it real or is it fake?” with buzzers and everything. Photo by Jamie Drysdale.

Adjunct Professor Jeff Gailus teaches a group of High School Students about the future of freelancing. Photo by Jamie Drysdale.

Professor Lee Banville teaches “Can This Hashtag Get Me Suspended?” covering the rules around schools and what they can and cannot do to students for speaking out in class and on social media. Photo by Jamie Drysdale.

Professor Keith Graham teaches “Photo-J and Your Phone” Keith covered how to improve your smartphone photography and storytelling skills for social media. Photo by Jamie Drysdale.

UM President Seth Bodnar opens High School Journalism Day at the University of Montana: “We live in a time when it’s very, very easy to stay within your echo chamber … to talk to people who only share the same view … to hear very narrow perspectives. Today, journalism is even more important, I would argue, than it’s ever been. Because, journalism is about telling the stories of the world and communicating information in an effective, informed way.” Photo by Lido Vizzutti.