Appalachian State University will host High School Media Day for Western Carolina students and teachers on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026.
The event is organized by App State’s Department of Communication in collaboration with the N.C. Scholastic Media Association.
Register for the event here: https://appstate.irisregistration.com/Form/26NCSMA.
Aspiring journalists from area high schools are invited to hone their skills and learn from media experts, faculty and student journalists.
Check-in for High School Media Day begins with registration at 8:30 a.m. in Plemmons Student Union. An opening keynote address will follow at 9:30 a.m. Sessions will then take place from 10:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., followed by lunch in an App State Dining Hall.
Please fill out the form to register for the workshop. The registration fee is $20 per person, which includes lunch. No refunds will be given, though substitutions for any attendees may be made. Teachers should complete and submit the online registration form by Oct. 20.
Please send your payment or school check payable to “Appalachian State University” to be received no later than Oct. 26. We recommend mailing checks no later than Oct. 20 to avoid missing the deadline for processing. Checks should be mailed to the following address:
Conference & Event Services
ASU Box 32042
Boone, NC 28608
ATTN: App State High School Media Day
Special accommodation requests must be made at least 14 days prior to the event.
Please be aware that the capacity is 200 participants. We will not be able to accept registrations beyond this capacity.
For more information, please contact Leigh Tauss in the Appalachian State University Department of Communication via email at taussl@appstate.edu.
High School Media Day 2026 Schedule
8:30 a.m. Sign-in, Plemmons Student Union.
9:30 a.m. Greetings and Opening Keynote from Prof. Bob Dillner, Parkway Ballroom
10:00 a.m. Instructional Session 1
“Art of the Interview,” Prof. Anne Ward.
“Hype Videos in Athletics,” Ryan Schmidt, Athletics Director of Creative Video.
“Telling Stories with Light,” Prof. Lynette Holman.
“Yearbook: Write Like You Want to Be Read,” Brenda Gorusch.
High School Advisers Round Table, Hosted by Adrienne Strumb.
10:45 a.m. Instructional Session 2
“Kill Brainrot: How to Become a Writer,” Prof. Chris Moody.
“Student Press Rights 101,” Prof. Evan Ringel.
“From Script to Screen,” Prof. Kelly Davis.
“Yearbook: Design Like You Want to Be Read,” Brenda Gorsuch.
Editors Round Table 1.
11:30 a.m. Instructional Session 3
“Radical Compassion and Mindfulness in Storytelling,” Prof. Chris Patti.
“Control Freak’s Guide to Design,” Brenda Gorsuch.
“How to Start a Podcast,” Prof. Nicola Redl.
“Yearbook: Social Media Marketing,” Jenny Zimmerman.
Editor’s Roundtable 2.
12:15 p.m. Lunch at Central Dining and flash critiques of newspapers and yearbooks
(Bring a copy of your publication to the sign-in table. ASU campus journalists will then join your staff for lunch and offer their feedback.)
1:30 p.m. Optional tour of The Appalachian newsroom or Beasley Media Complex.
2 p.m. Bus pickup