Central Magnet High School student Moyin Onafowokan was eager to be a part of this year’s Innovation J-Camp at MTSU because she knew there would be “new.”

“I learned a lot of things, like (how to) use a (stick) mic and how to just operate a camera,” said the 14-year-old Rutherford County resident, who is among 15 students attending the weeklong, hands-on summer camp for high school students interested in multimedia journalism.

Running July 9-13 this year, the five-day workshop targets students who have a passion for creating stories using mobile, social, digital and video platforms.

Innovation J-Camp student Jayden Hubbard edits his video inside the Center for Innovation in Media at MTSU. This year’s journalism camp for high school students ran July 9-13. (MTSU photo by Jimmy Hart)

Based at the Center for Innovation in Media and in partnership with the College of Media and Entertainment, the camp is led by center director Val Hoeppner, who had a vision for starting the program a few years ago and has been able to make it happen with the assistance of colleagues such as Christine Eschenfelder, Dan Eschenfelder and Chris Bacon, among others.

Val Hoeppner

“I came in knowing that I wanted to do a high school camp because I wanted to just get more young people involved in journalism,” said Hoeppner, who also serves as executive director of WMOT Roots Radio 89.5, the university’s 100,000-watt professional radio station housed inside the Bragg Media and Entertainment Building.

Campers learn about news basics and new media platforms each day, then tackle hands-on assignments in the field with camp instructors. At week’s end, campers post video, photos and written stories online to showcase their multimedia projects.

Hoeppner’s background includes work in digital, mobile and multiplatform journalism for more than 15 years, and she’s also an MTSU instructor. The camp allows the university to expose the participants to MTSU facilities and programs just as they’re determining where to begin their higher education journeys.

“We wanted to recruit new students to the College of Media and Entertainment,” said Hoeppner of the added benefits of hosting the camp at the university. “We’ve had at least one, if not two or three students, that next fall become students here.”

Innovation J-Camp instructor Sarah Grace Taylor helps two campers with a “photo bingo” assignment inside the Walker Library at MTSU. This year’s journalism camp for high school students ran July 9-13. (MTSU photo by KeWana McCallum)

Some students even come back to the camp a second year to gain more knowledge and experience, and one former camper is now a Blue Raider.

“One of our best writers on Sidelines is Eric Goodwin; he was in my very first J-Camp,” said Hoeppner, referring to MTSU’s student-run news website. The Center for Innovation in Media combines the newsrooms for Sidelines; WMTS-FM, the student radio station; Match Records, the student record label; and MT10 News, the student-operated cable television station.

For the camp, Hoeppner also has a partnership with Canon USA, which provides camera equipment for the budding journalists to allow a better hands-on learning experience with current technology. Along with these tools, Hoeppner provides scholarships for some students.

“I wanted to make J-Camp as diverse as possible, so I offer three diversity scholarships every year,” she said.

J-Camper Karina Rovey, a 17-year-old student at Page High School in Franklin, Tennessee, said she isn’t quite sure what she wants to make her career, but as she snapped pictures in the Center for Innovation in Media, she noted how the program can help campers “figure out what you want to do in college.”

Caryn Tramel, now an MTSU sophomore majoring in video and film production, participated in the program’s inaugural year and is now a J-Camp mentor, helping out with the different groups throughout the week.

“We pretty much did what they’re doing now, just like learning how to use the camera, taking photos, (and) learning what a story was,” said Tramel.

“We’re not pushing them to do anything but kind of like guiding them, and some of them already have these skills, so it’s cool to see them throughout the week get more confident in their skills.” <

The Innovation J-Camp will be held again next year during the second full week of July. For more information or to register, visit http://innovationjcamp.org/about-innovation-j-camp.

— Kewana McCallum, student intern (news@mtsu.edu)

Innovation J-Camp participant A.J. Hughes takes a photo Tuesday, July 10, outside the Bragg Media and Entertainment Building at MTSU. (MTSU photo by KeWana McCallum)

Innovation J-Camp students Karina Rovey, left, and Caryn Tramel take a photo Tuesday, July 10, as part of a “photo bingo” assignment inside the Walker Library at MTSU. This year’s journalism camp for high school students ran July 9-13. (MTSU photo by KeWana McCallum)

Innovation J-Camp students Bobby Schneider, foreground, and Alex Foster edit their video inside the Center for Innovation in Media at MTSU. Looking on is MTSU assistant journalism professor Chris Bacon. This year’s journalism camp for high school students ran July 9-13. (MTSU photo by Jimmy Hart)