At the Spring 2026 SCSPA conference, two student journalists shared their experiences on the value of constructive criticism and teamwork on their newspaper staff, the Sword and Shield.
Rising seniors Hannah Layne and Ellie Lewis led the session “Criticism: How to Receive and Provide Thoughtful Advice” after seeing a recurring issue in their newspaper staff and others. The idea came to them easily after teaching constructive criticism at Laurens District 55 High School.
“We want our newspapers to get as perfect as we can get them,” Layne said.
Layne had already presented her own session on anxiety at the Fall 2025 SCSPA conference. Although she was nervous to present again, she felt more comfortable knowing she had done it before.
“Journalism has helped me overcome my personal anxiety so I decided to teach a class that struggles with the same thing that I used to,” Layne said.
Best friends since middle school, Lewis and Layne began their journalism classes together and decided to present as a pair at the spring conference. Lewis found the topic extremely important to discuss after seeing how students were misunderstanding constructive criticism on the Sword and Shield staff.
“I realized my staff didn’t know how to give or receive it,” Lewis said.
In their session, Layne and Lewis presented mock paragraphs of how to present constructive criticism. They felt proud of themselves for presenting and encourage other students to take the opportunity at future conferences.
“If this is something you’re really interested in absolutely go for it,” Layne said. “It may seem nerve wracking but no one in there is judging you. It’s an amazing experience.”
