JENNA SPOONT
News Packages & Print Photography
As a reporter and a photographer, I go to events and tell the story, whether it is through videos or photos. My photographs have been published online, on television and in the newspaper.
2013 Presidential Inauguration Still Photography
Stoganews.com, February 2013
ONLINE
I had an incredible experience taking photographs during the Inaugural weekend. At the National Day of Service Jan. 19, I took pictures of NBC News Correspondent Chelsea Clinton, Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth, singer-songwriter Ben Folds, TV host Starr Jones, Miss America 2013 Mallory Hagan and NASA astronauts Kate Rubins and Lee Morin. At the Kids Inaugural Concert, I took pictures of Michelle, Malia and Sasha Obama, Jill Biden and her grandchildren, Usher, Katy Perry, Nick Cannon and members of the "Glee."
Please click on the gallery below to look through the slide show of photographs from the Inauguration.
An American flag waves in the crowd of 800,000 people.
Three generations of women pray during the Presidential Inauguration.
A family bundles up under a blanket during the Inaugural Ceremony. The temperature during the ceremony was just above freezing.
An American flag waves in the crowd of 800,000 people.
TELEVISION
Jenna Spoont On-Camera Talent Compilation
This video reel won the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Student Emmy for the Talent category on May 7, 2013.
Broadcast News Packages for Good Morning 'Stoga
2013 PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION
January 2013
Covering the 2013 Presidential Inauguration was the pinnacle of my high school journalism career. It was incredible to stand among such a patriotic, diverse crowd of people. Some difficulties I faced in reporting on this package was the editing part. I edited the package on my own at home without the help from teachers at school. I learned how to use Final Cut Pro X on the spot.
MITT ROMNEY
September 2012
Reporting at the Mitt Romney Victory Rally at Valley Forge Military Academy and College on September 24, 2012, stimulated my interest in covering politics. I learned that politics affects everyone's lives, so U.S. citizens become passionate about who they want to run their country. Attending the rally taught me how to obtain press credentials and how to act as a professional reporter. I sat alongside NBC10's Tim Furlong and 6ABC's Vern Odom.
AIDS WALK PHILLY
October 2012
I accompanied a group of 20 Conestoga High School students and teachers on October 21, 2012 to Philadelphia for the AIDS Walk Philly, a cause that my high school has supported for 20 years. I walked four miles while interviewing students about the fundraiser. Reporting on this story opened my eyes to AIDS awareness, especially the fact that every 9.5 minutes, someone in the U.S. is infected with HIV. This package is special to me because my journalism adviser, Ms. Susan Houseman, went to the event with me and taught me about field reporting. This package won the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Student Emmy in the News: General Assignment category on May 7, 2013.
SEN. ANDY DINNIMAN/MLK DAY
January 2013
Sen. Andy Dinniman visited my high school to speak to the students about racial acceptance in today's society. He spoke at the African American Student Union Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. event, which showcased poems and articles written by current and former students and faculty, as well as famous civil rights activists. The difficulty with this package was learning how to edit quickly to meet the timely deadline.
JILL BIDEN
October 2012
My photographer and I jammed into a tiny office with other news outlets like 6ABC Action News and KYW Newsradio at the Dr. Jill Biden Canvass-Kickoff Event at the Obama for America Field Office in South Philadelphia on October 9, 2012. I talked to 6ABC's Walter Perez about the importance of student journalism while waiting for Biden to arrive. A difficulty that I faced at this event was trying to get an interview with Biden. I approached her two times with the microphone, but her security guards would not let her speak to the press.
NATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL
September 2011
Covering the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. on September 24, 2011 was such an incredible experience because I filmed, reported and edited the package without another student journalist with me. I used my knowledge of the equipment to my best ability as a junior in high school. I waited for Today Show Correspondent Hoda Kotb to finish her speech and asked her questions about how high school students should achieve their dreams. I also interviewed a young Hawaiian author about his children's book. The award seen above is an honorable mention from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.
WINGS LACROSSE
March 2012
On March 3, 2012, I participated in the Student Reporter Program for the Philadelphia Wings Lacrosse organization. Before the game, I attended an interview with one of the athletes and filmed my stand-up for the package near the field. During the game, I shot B-Roll of the action. After that, I sat in on a press conference, which featured the head coach discussing the loss.
The difficulty that I faced making this package was learning the broadcast sports lingo. I learned that especially when you write sports, you have to use action verbs that describe what exactly happened during the game.
PULITZER PRIZE-WINNER EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS
November 2012
I interviewed two Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists at the 2012 Pennsylvania School Press Association Convention. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Susan Snyder wrote a two-part series about violence in the Philadelphia School District. CNN Correspondent Sara Ganim broke the Jerry Sandusky story while she was working at a paper in State College, Pa. She won the Pulitzer Prize at 24 years old and is one of the youngest people to ever win the award.
The video below contains the exclusive interviews that I had with Ganim and Snyder.
NEWSPAPER
Students take pride in collecting items, preserving memories
The Spoke, December 2012
Pictured below is the first photograph that I took for The Spoke, which was featured in the December 2012 issue. The difficulty that I encountered was finding the perfect camera angle. I decided that shooting the picture at a low angle in the perspective of the Playbills would properly convey senior Juliana Suplee's 10-year-long passion for collecting the pamphlets from various productions.