RSVP for Society of Professional Journalists-Madison Holiday Trivia

press release: Remember when we all thought we would just have to work from home for a couple weeks in March because of this coronavirus thing? Well, COVID-19 is still raging more than eight months later, leading SPJ Madison to host an online trivia night Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. in lieu of our annual Holiday Party and Raffle. 

Journalists and journalism supporters are welcome to play, and all the proceeds will go toward the Breann Schossow Memorial fund at UW-Eau Claire to support Ann Devroy fellows participating in a summer internship.

The fund is in honor of former-SPJ Madison president Breann Schossow, who died of cancer in October at age 31. Schossow was an Ann Devroy fellow herself while attending UW-Eau Claire, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in 2012, and the fund will help young journalists in the program secure valuable internship opportunities while in college.

“Breann left an imprint on every SPJ Madison board member,” SPJ Madison president Shelley K. Mesch said. “Her tenacity and dedication to journalism was something to aspire to, and SPJ Madison couldn’t think of a better way to honor her memory than to help young journalists.”

While in Madison, Breann worked at WPR as a producer for The Ideas Network. She left the job in 2019 to move back to her home state of Minnesota to be closer to her family. Earlier this year, she took a position as an associate producer at Minnesota Public Radio. She was also a driving force behind many SPJ Madison initiatives, particularly networking events that connect students with local professional journalists.

To participate in the Holiday Trivia Night, which will be held on Zoom, register here with a team of up to eight people. Teams should come up with a team name to use at registration. If you do not have a team, SPJ Madison can place you in a team. 

An early-bird price of $10 per player is available until 11:59 p.m. Nov. 30. All registrations after that are $20 per player. Any donations made above that cost will also go toward the Breann Schossow Memorial. Registration ends Dec. 15.

Our journalism-themed trivia will be hosted by SPJ Madison’s own leadership team. Questions will be asked through a Zoom conference, and teams will be able to discuss and answer within breakout rooms. Knowing that the COVID-19 quarantine doesn’t provide many people the opportunity to get together, teams will have ample time to discuss questions and socialize within the breakout rooms. 

Funds from past SPJ Madison Holiday Parties have gone toward programs including our scholarship in honor of Pat Schneider last year, the Badger Herald and Daily Cardinal and Simpson Street Free Press.