Eleven students from Dos Pueblos High School’s DPNews (broadcast), The Image (yearbook) and The Charger Account (newspaper) attended the largest journalism conference in the nation Nov. 12-15 in Washington, D.C.

The students participated in sessions with more than 6,300 students from 973 schools in the United States, Korea and England. Students learned about the freedoms and rights of the media, ethics in journalism, sound, lighting, story writing, interviewing and more.

John Dent, adviser of DPNews and The Image, said the 11 students already have started to implement the things they learned in the all-day sessions and conference competitions.

The students particularly enjoyed the “Newseum” with its Pulitzer Prize photos, Woodstock and 9/11 displays, and its interactive sections. The students also toured the Lincoln Memorial and Capitol Building.

The conference is held each fall and spring by the Journalism Education Association and the National Scholastic Press Association.

Dos Pueblos has been notified that one student, senior Alison Kern, finished in the top and earned an Excellence Award for her contest entry in a category for yearbook copy writing. Kern attended the conference as one of the school’s yearbook editors for 2009-10.

All of the Dos Pueblos attendees competed against 2,200 students from across the United States in writing, broadcast, layout and design categories.

— Barbara Keyani is coordinator of administrative services and communications for the Santa Barbara School District.