Combining a dedication to journalism and a love of Italian American culture, we had a fulfilling weekend running the annual Society of Professional Journalists Summer Journalism Institute, where high school students from the northeast covered the St. Agrippina Feast in Boston’s North End.

As part of the three-day immersive workshop, students learned the basics of interviewing, reporting, writing, and multimedia storytelling at Emerson College. They were in the North End the following day, providing team coverage of the 110th annual feast. 

Students focused their stories on four core areas: history, community, business, and food. Stories topics included how the feast reinforces Italian culture, how the community unites for this event, the impact of food vendor prices, and the balance of food consumption and waste.

Sources included Father Michael Della Penna from St. Leonard’s Church, Dr. Jessica Dello Rosso from the North End Historial Society and event organizers. 

As part of the experience, students also toured The Boston Globe, Massachusetts State House, and the WEBN studios at Emerson. 

Chris R. Vaccaro is a national at-large director of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), where he also directs the SPJ Summer Journalism Institute. He is also the executive director of the Italian American Heritage Society of Long Island and a national columnist for Ambassador Magazine, the official publication of the National Italian American Foundation.