Thanks, Chicago!

I read great e-mail messages on my journalism teachers' e-mail list about upcoming conventions in San Francisco and Nashville, but I wanted to chime in about the fantastic convention experience in Chicago before too much time passes.

In every way possible, this was my best convention experience ever. We had such good convention karma! The flights left on time, the elevators at the Swissotel were never delayed, we arrived at the awards ceremony just in time for a student to hear his name as a superior winner, and we had glorious weather as we walked around Millennium Park and to a fantastic delicatessen called Ada's.

Sunday morning brought three individual awards: a superior in newspaper sports photography and honorable mentions in review writing and news writing.

More than the awards (which were very nice), my students have never left a convention as excited and energized about their publications. I don't expect that every session will be a life-changer; I do expect students to find a few nuggets of inspiration here and there. Some highlights: sports columns, reader surveys and enterprise reporting.

To be in a student hotel room at midnight Saturday and witness all my students hanging out and talking about enterprise and diversity was especially rewarding. So much about the convention experience is goes beyond the sessions. It is about a shared experience and learning. It's also about making new friends and seeing old ones. I am glad I had a chance to connect with so many of my j-pals in Chicago (you probably know who you are!).

Finally, it is about making lasting memories, such as walking through sideways rain, cheering about a Pacemaker award and eating something called a "francheesie" (a beef frank wrapped in cheese and bacon is quite possibly the world's best food idea).

I bought a great piece of original editorial cartoon artwork for a large chunk of change, but it all goes to support the Student Press Law Center, so I feel fine about raising my credit card balance. And, I even got a bonus when checking out of the hotel when the clerk waived my Internet fees -- $10 per day. What a deal!

So, thanks Chicago and all the local committee folks. We came curious and left with questions answered and newer, more important ones raised.

We'll do it all again in San Francisco in April.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.