On April 15, students from West High’s journalism program traveled to Minneapolis, Minnesota for the National High School Journalism Convention (NHSJC). NHSJC is an annual event hosted by the Journalism Education Association (JEA) and the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) for the purpose of educating, recognizing and connecting student journalists and advisers.
Having arrived a day early, the students were able to explore downtown Minneapolis and watch the Minnesota Twins play against the Boston Red Sox. After watching the game, advisor Nicole Goodman, Certified Journalism Educator (CJE), gave her students the terrific news to tour The Minnesota Star Tribune.
Goodman initially reached out to Editor-In-Chief, Kathleen Hennessey, weeks prior to their trip, wondering if it was okay for the Wahawk journalism team to tour the space. After not hearing a response, Goodman had forgotten until they responded on April 15, after the Twins game. This response resulted in a quick turnaround where the Wahawks toured the office right after the game ended. “I just happened to open up my email and check it, and I had an email from Maria Reeves, who was our tour guide, who showed us around,” states Goodman.
With Reeves leading the tour, she sat the students down in a 4:00 p.m. news meeting, then offered a tour around the office. Students were able to talk to each editor about their respective fields. “I thought it was an incredible experience for you all [students]. I think even for those who don’t plan on necessarily going into journalism… to see what journalists do, and what that environment looks like,” states Goodman.
The meeting consisted of editors pitching ideas and bringing up new news for a possible story, focusing on quick and planned coverage for the week. Senior Alyssa Muheljic states, “It was amazing to see how a professional newspaper source operates because everyone is on a strict schedule.” Muheljic was able to connect the meeting to her personal experiences in journalism, “It influenced me into thinking outside of the box on how our program could or should change so that we improve.”
“What was seen in the meeting room was the best example of how to critique individuals without getting upset or taking it on a personal level,” states Junior Anders Elliott-Ott.
As part of the tour, students were able to talk to editors and ask questions. They spoke to Editor of Investigations, Tom Scheck, Senior Editor for Audience Engagement, Nancy Yang, Opinion Editor and Vice President, Phil Morris, and Editor and Senior Vice President Kathleen Hennessey. Each editor shared their experiences in journalism, explaining the importance of journalism, and the role they play working for the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Scheck is the Investigative Editor responsible for managing a team of investigative journalists. Before joining the Star Tribune, Scheck spent 25 years at MPR News and APM Reports.
Morris is the Opinion Editor and Vice President at the Minnesota Star Tribune, joining in July 2024 to lead the opinion team. Morris is an award-winning journalist and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist in commentary, and previously spent nearly 30 years as a columnist at the Plain Dealer in Cleveland.
Yang is the senior editor for audience engagement. Yang is responsible for overseeing the team that curates and optimizes the Star Tribune’s content across its many platforms. Yang also leads the team that produces content for The Star Tribune’s social platforms.
Hennessey is the Editor-In-Chief and Senior Vice President for the Star Tribune as of May 2025. In the past, Hennessey has worked for the New York Times as the Deputy Politics Editor for Enterprise, Deputy Washington Bureau Chief for The Associated Press and a White House Correspondent.
A story that stuck with many of the students was about a Purple Heart that Morris had received from a Michigan Vietnam Veteran after the death of Alex Pretti. Morris received the Purple Heart because the veteran didn’t trust the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). He stated that he couldn’t trust the government to deliver it to the Pretti family, or anyone else. Currently, Morris waits for the day he meets the Pretti family to deliver them this gift.
Elliott-Ott states, “When I first heard this story, genuinely, my heart dropped. It was almost unreal to hear that someone cared so much about such a serious topic. To do something like that, people don’t just get Purple Hearts on a whim. They have to be an active service member, and they have to get hurt in some way, shape, or form.”
As the tour came to a wrap, students reflected on the advice that was given to them by the editors and reporters they talked to.
One student, senior Lejla Hrustic, believes that, “The best thing I took away was that sometimes choosing interesting over importance to get the views is an okay choice to make, and making the important interesting is also a good aspect.”
Sophomore Cali Cook states, “For me, being able to tour such a professional environment was such a thrilling experience to see how much work goes into something you may never think about. I never knew truly how much work went into the news and/or how many people it took,” Cooks adds on how she recognized that each editor and reporter all played a part in creating something from nothing. A piece of advice that stuck with Cook during the tour was, “Put yourself out there, don’t be afraid, ask for help and do the thing you think you can’t.”
Throughout the tour, senior Amaya Tomlinson looked up to Reeves. Tomlinson states, “I like how patient she was, and she seemed like a person with a curious eye, which I admire when it comes to journalism.” Thinking back to the tour, Tomlinson loved the advice of, “Every story counts,” emphasizing searching for stories to tell because every story counts.
