by Colleen Casner | Jun 12, 2014 | News Slider
Every summer since 2000, high school students from middle and west Tennessee have ventured to Lipscomb’s campus for a three-day journalism camp. From Sunday evening to Wednesday morning, eleven campers took part in journalism classes taught by Lipscomb faculty and students, enjoyed mixers and wrote and photographed their own news stories, the best of which was published on Lumination Network. The camp is co-hosted by Lipscomb’s Department of Communication and Journalism and the Tennessee High School Press Association and is directed by Jimmy McCollum, an associate professor in the department and the head of the THSPA. Unique to this year’s camp, the campers gained their hands-on experience at writing and photographing a news story by covering Lipscomb’s BisonBot Robotics Camp for students in fourth through sixth grades. McCollum came up with the idea to take the camp beyond simply having the campers interview and write stories about each other and instead giving campers a real story to work on that could potentially be published on Lumination. “Now, they can show the fruits of their labor to their friends and family back home and say, ‘Hey, I was a reporter. Here’s my article. Here’s my news story. Here’s my newscast for all the world to see,’” McCollum said. In addition to covering the robotics camp, campers attended the different classes that were geared to the aspects of journalism that interest campers the most. Jai Cosey, a rising junior, especially enjoyed McCollum’s newswriting class. “Mr. Jimmy’s fun,” she said. Cosey originally discovered through poetry that she enjoyed writing and is now interested in newswriting, as well as possibly working on her...
by Monaih Sam | Jun 6, 2013 | News Slider
The annual Lipscomb University Journalism Camp, co-hosted by the Tennessee High School Press Association, was held this week on the Lipscomb University campus. J-camp is one of many camps going on at Lipscomb this summer, but one of the few that has lasted for over a decade. “The Genesis of J-camp was in 2002,” said J-camp director Dr. Jimmy McCollum. “We began with four students our first year and we’ve grown each year since.” Nearly 20 students and advisers attended this year’s camp, including students from Georgia and Illinois. “Many students come here because they are interested in journalism or their school advisers want them to come. Others come because they are interested in the school and want to be on campus,” McCollum added. Campers were given the opportunity to stay in the college dorms and get a real feel of the college life This year’s camp offered sessions on topics ranging from video and photography to staff management and interviewing techniques. Campers also got the opportunity to produce their own newscast. J-camp featured over 12 guest speakers including Lipscomb’s own communication professors, Dr. McCollum, Alan Griggs and Dr. Mark McGee. Campers ended the three-day event with a J-camp rewind that presented the work done by the aspiring journalists. Staff Management and Organization Tips Jan Little, teacher and adviser from Brentwood High School taught the session on staff management and organization. Little urged the students to “look for people you can trust,” and prioritize your tasks. Little’s list of task to help run a better school newsroom: Have a mailing list Mail letters to colleges Staff meetings – ad...
by Jimmy McCollum | Jun 9, 2011 | News Slider
The Lipscomb J-Camp wrapped up on Wednesday. This slideshow features photos taken by Bronwyn Graves, Sarah Hasselle, Crysta Lambert, Anya Li, Jenny Sai and Lee-Anna...
by Jimmy McCollum | Jun 9, 2011 | News Slider
By Meagan White Oakland High School This year’s Lipscomb Journalism Camp was decidedly one-sided gender-wise, a phenomenon that got mixed reviews. Twenty-four campers attended J-Camp, which ended on Wednesday; only four were boys. “We’re outrageously outnumbered, and that’s OK!” said Scott Dalton, a student at Montgomery Bell Academy. “I really thought there would be more [boys],” said Lee-Anna West, who attends home school in Nashville. “I have a lot of guy friends, and I usually get along really well with guys in general, so I was a little disappointed that there weren’t many here.” “As long as I have another guy with me it’s all good,” said Able Shi, who attends Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet High School, “but we need more guys at this camp.” Campers said that J-Camp was fun but intense. When asked what he initially expected from the camp, MBA student Karthik Sastry replied, “Hardcore journalism!” “I didn’t think I would have to use this much brainpower,” said Mark Gonzalez, from Nashville. J-Campers attended classes in writing, photography, design, advertising and video editing, but the sessions were not the only things the guys were excited about. “The food here isn’t like regular camp food,” Gonzalez said of the camp meals, which included pizza, lasagna, sub sandwiches and a baked-potato bar. Campers were able to eat in the Dining Center once; the other meals were served exclusively to them in one of the camp classrooms. “If you wanna be obese, come to this camp,” Shi said. In addition to feasting on junk food, Shi and Gonzalez had the opportunity to experience dormitory life while boarding in Sewell Hall. On...
by Jimmy McCollum | Jun 7, 2011 | News Slider
A Tennessean editor gave advice to future journalists at Lipscomb University’s Journalism Camp Monday. Knight Stivender, senior editor, digital, informed the campers on the proper ways to use social media to prepare for a future career in journalism. Facebook, Twitter, and Google Profiles can manifest a person’s appealing qualities; however, since employers search prospective employees online, social networking should not be abused. “I would be classy – just classy, not with a ‘k,’” she said about Facebook profiles. “If you’re so inclined to have a dual personality, the one thing you could do is have a Facebook fan page for your classy with a ‘c,’ and a Facebook personal page for you classy with a ‘k.’ You could do both.” Knight said that to ensure a successful career, young writers should familiarize themselves with professional journalists and reporters through social networks by following them on Twitter or commenting on their Facebook fan page. “You’ve made some contacts, you’ve built some connections, you really need to showcase your work,” Knight said. After a writer has collected all of his or her work, whether it is videos, photos, or stories, the writer needs to save and share it. Once the work is published, others can comment and review on it, which improves the writer. Stivender stressed to write, report, and dig for interesting stories. She emphasized the importance of writing daily in a journal or a blog. “I never just blog,” she said. “I will journal constantly, like every day, multiple times a day. The more I do it, the more my thoughts crystalize.” Stivender left the campers with a new...
