High school journalists have a great opportunity to tackle hands-on assignments in the field by attending the 2016 “Innovation J-Camp” July 11-15 at the Center for Innovation in Media in MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment.

Casey Chahine, left, a spring 2015 MTSU media management graduate and a former host at WMTS Radio, gets the in-studio paparazzi treatment from several members of the July 2015 Innovation J-Camp in the university’s Center for Innovation in Media. J-Camper Eric Goodwin, who’s now a senior at Murfreesboro’s Central Magnet, is next to Chahine, while J-Camper Hannah Tenpenny, now a junior at Mt. Juliet Christian Academy, moves in for a close-up. (Photos courtesy of the Center for Innovation in Media)

Now in its second year, the weeklong workshop will teach young journalists to become innovative digital storytellers who are able to produce stories for multiple platforms, including video, Web, mobile and print.

Participants who’ll be in ninth through 12th grades this fall are eligible to attend. They’ll learn daily about news basics and new media platforms, then tackle assignments in the field with camp instructors.

By week’s end, each camper will post stories — complete with photos and videos —on a special website they’ll build and manage to showcase their multimedia project.

The cost of the five-day camp is $150 person, which covers all materials, equipment and lunches. The Center for Innovation in Media is located inside the Bragg Media and Entertainment Building on campus; a searchable campus map of MTSU, complete with parking details, is available at tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap.

The center, also known as the CIM, opened in 2012 and combines the newsrooms for Sidelines, MTSU’s student news site; WMTS-FM, the student radio station; Match Records, the student record label; and MT10 News, the student-operated cable television station. WMOT-FM, MTSU’s 100,000-watt National Public Radio affiliate, also is housed in the center.

Click the logo for registration information.

The CIM enables students from all media disciplines to hone their skills under the same roof in a state-of-the-art facility. Center Director Val Hoeppner, who’s worked in digital, mobile and multiplatform journalism for more than 15 years, will serve as lead instructor for Innovation J-Camp.

You can see the 2015 J-campers’ projects at http://innovationjcamp.org/category/stories-from-2015-j-camp.

For information about the 2016 Innovation J-Camp, visit http://innovationjcamp.org or contact Hoeppner at val.hoeppner@MTSU.edu. For more information about MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment, visit www.mtsu.edu/media.

— Gina E. Fann (gina.fann@mtsu.edu)

Michael Vogt, a junior at Central Magnet School, and Haley Perkins, a Blackman High School sophomore, check some of the video they shot on campus during the July 2015 Innovation J-Camp at MTSU.