UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Nearly three dozen Pennsylvania high school teachers spent a day at Penn State working to hone their skills and better serve their students as part of a first-ever professional development session.
The Adviser Workshop conducted July 22 by the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Scholastic Press Association (PSPA) welcomed advisers from across the commonwealth and included sessions focused on the First Amendment, social media and graphic design — and that was just the first half of the day.
Hands-on breakout sessions in the afternoon included sessions titled Photojournalism for Everyone and Barebones Broadcast, along with sessions about yearbook design and newspaper staff engagement.
The day concluded with an adviser roundtable as the colleagues from schools big and small shared best practices and tips on a variety of topics.
The first-ever workshop followed the annual PSPA board of directors meeting on the University Park campus the day before. In addition, PSPA conducts it statewide championship competition finals for students each spring at Penn State.
The Bellisario College and PSPA have a longstanding relationship as part of Penn State’s commitment to serve and support the commonwealth. During the spring semester of the 2024-25 academic year, 1,297 Bellisario College students were from Pennsylvania.