Social media shares, careers showcased in the press, official proclamations, memes, open houses, and more have marked NCRA’s seventh Court Reporting & Captioning Week celebration happening Feb. 9–16. The weeklong event is designed to help promote the court reporting and captioning professions to the public by hosting demonstrations, open houses, and more.
At the national level, U.S. Rep. John Shimkus from Illinois recognized the week in a written speech submitted for the official record of the U.S. House of Representatives. In addition, U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis from Iowa delivered a similar speech from the House floor on Feb. 14, recognizing the event.
On Feb. 12, NCRA President Sue A. Terry, FAPR, RPR, CRR, CRC, participated in “Spread the Word,” an online event hosted by the College of Court Reporting in Valparaiso, Ind., in honor of 2019 Court Reporting & Captioning Week. Terry joined other representatives from the court reporting and captioning professions to talk to students firsthand about the benefits of a career in court reporting or captioning. The speakers also provided motivation and inspiration to those who attended and participated in a Q&A segment.
“It was a fantastic event for the attendees,” said Terry. “Watching the chat window, you could tell they appreciated the information and were inspired by the many presenters. The presenters were given the opportunity to craft their own messages and topics. This was a great idea because you could tell each participant was speaking from their heart. It was an honor to join this group of dedicated professionals in giving back and motivating the next generation of reporters,” she added.
Social media has been abuzz
State associations, individuals, and students have also taken to social media outlets to celebrate the week. In addition to sharing memes, professionals have also been sharing why they love their careers, information about special events happening in their areas, and more.
The celebration even generated a tweet by Joe Fulton, an attorney and partner with Martineau King in Charlotte, N.C., who tweeted “In honor of Court Reporting and Captioning Week, I will be keeping my voice up and speaking a little slower than normal this week. I have no idea how these people keep up! My best guess is magic.”
The Deposition Reporters Association of California shared via email with members a video of a keynote speech delivered by its lobbyist and attorney, Ed Howard, at its 2017 annual convention, where he told reporters why they are amazing.
In honor of the week, NCRA also launched a series of videos featuring members talking about why they love their careers. The videos are available on NCRA’s YouTube channel. State associations, members, and schools are encouraged to share them to help promote the court reporting and captioning professions all year round.
More schools joined in the fun
The Captioning and Court Reporting program at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C), Cuyahoga, Ohio, held its annual write-a-thon fundraiser in celebration of the week. Students in the program gathered in a prominent area of the school plaza and worked together on their machines as a visible display of the court reporting profession in training. Students secured sponsors ahead of time to contribute funds to support student members attending professional development activities such as state and national conventions. In addition, Tri-C students in the program hosted a “Professional Pop-Up” interactive career event, which featured professional reporters from a variety of court reporting and captioning sectors who displayed their skills through demonstrations of live reporting and captioning. The event was followed by a Q&A session.
Court reporting and captioning students at Madison College, Madison, Wis., manned a two-day table in the school’s cafeteria where they practiced writing on their machines and talking with visitors to the table. In addition to the students, instructors were also on hand to talk about the career and the many opportunities available for those who choose it.
Official proclamations from Pennsylvania and San Antonio, Texas, were also reported later in the week bringing the total number of proclamations to 16.
And, as always, there has been media coverage
National Court Reporting & Captioning Week Showcased on Local Station
On Feb. 9, KIIITV, Corpus Christi, Texas, aired a story that featured faculty and students from the Del Mar College’s court reporting program showcasing the court reporting and captioning professions.
Court Reporting & Captioning Week in Iowa
The Newton Daily News reported on Feb. 12 that a number of NCRA members from Iowa and faculty from the Des Moines Area Community College successfully secured an official proclamation by state Gov. Kim Reynolds recognizing 2019 Court Reporting & Captioning Week.
Local court reporters recognized
On Feb. 11, channel KSAT, San Antonio, Texas, aired a story that recognized court reporters for their work. The story included an interview with NCRA member Carol Castillo, an official court reporter, from the steps of the Bexar County Courthouse in honor of 2019 Court Reporting & Captioning Week.
An Interview with Kaylee Lachmann, RPR
NCRA member Kaylee Lachmann, RPR, a new court reporter with Planet Depos, was profiled in a blog posted by JD Supra on Feb. 13.
Don’t forget to enter into this year’s drawings: Deadline to enter for both is Feb. 18
The NCSA State Challenge is a friendly contest among state associations and individual NCRA members to spread the word about the benefits of a career in court reporting or captioning. The 2019 NCSA State Challenge marks the fifth year the gauntlet has been thrown down. Winners will receive a variety of prizes ranging from complimentary NCRA event registrations to vouchers for continuing education.
This year, NCRA has issued its own challenge as well: It calls on all state affiliates to help celebrate this year’s Court Reporting & Captioning Week by securing an official proclamation recognizing the week by their state governor or a state lawmaker. States that submit a copy of their official state proclamation to pr@ncra.org will be entered into a drawing to win one free 2019 Convention & Expo registration.
A downloadable sample proclamation is available on NCRA’s Court Reporting & Captioning resource page.
For additional resources, visit NCRA’s Court Reporting & Captioning Week resources page at NCRA.org/home/events. No matter how you celebrate 2019 Court Reporting & Captioning Week, be sure to share your stories and photos with NCRA’s Communications Team at pr@ncra.org.
Read more about what others are doing to celebrate NCRA’s 2019 Court Reporting & Captioning Week.
