NCRA’s 2020 Court Reporting & Captioning Week, observed Feb. 8-15 by members, state associations, and schools, lived up to its theme For the love of steno, generating official proclamations in more than two dozen states, as well as two at the federal level. Celebrations throughout the week ran the gamut from showcasing the profession in a local mall to career fairs to handing out cookies to lawmakers and more.
In addition to official proclamations recognizing the week submitted to the Congressional Record by U.S. Reps. Ron Kind of Wisconsin and Rodney Davis of Illinois, the following states also secured official proclamations from lawmakers:
- Alabama
- California
- Kansas
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nevada
- New York
- Monroe County (N.Y.)
- Nebraska
- Oklahoma
- Ohio
- Texas
- Bexar County (Texas)
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
States that submitted official proclamations have been entered in a drawing sponsored by NCRA to recognize their support of the court reporting and captioning professions during the 2020 Court Reporting & Captioning Week. The winner will be announced in next week’s JCR Weekly and will earn one free 2020 Conference & Expo registration.
In the news and on video
Court reporting and captioning also caught the attention of several media outlets. Below is a sampling:
Court reporters compete to see who has the fastest fingers in NYC
The Queens Daily Eagle posted an article on Feb. 13 about a group of 15 nimble-fingered students from Plaza College in Queens, N.Y. The students will put their court reporting skills to the test as they compete in NCRA’s Student Speed Contest in honor of Court Reporting & Captioning Week.
City proclamation honors court reporters
KSAT-TV, San Antonio, Texas, posted a story about an official proclamation handed down to local court reporters by a district judge recognizing NCRA’s 2020 Court Reporting & Captioning Week.
NCRA members from Alabama promote Court Reporting and Captioning Week
Members of NCRA and the Alabama Court Reporters Association, Cindy Greene, RPR, Alan Peacock, FAPR, RDR, CRR, CRC, and Taylor Nouwen, a recent court reporting school graduate, were featured in a piece that aired on local Fox 10 news on Feb. 7 about their jobs and the need for more recruits to the profession.
2020 National Court Reporting & Captioning Week continues to raise awareness about career opportunities
Yahoo Finance posted a press release on Feb. 8 issued by NCRA announcing the 2020 Court Reporting & Captioning Week.
NCRA member and vice president of the Alabama Court Reporters Association (ACRA) Sabrina Lewis, RDR, CRR, an official and freelance court reporter from Birmingham, produced a video clip along with NCRA student member Shaunise Day, Oakland, Calif., that covers “Why I Love Court Reporting,” and posted it on her Facebook page in honor of the week.
Also, in Alabama, NCRA member Suzanne Prince, RPR, CRR, CRC, a captioner from Huntsville, shared a video interview with Linda Brown Hershey, FAPR, RDR, CRR, a captioner from Chattanooga, Tenn., on ACRA’s Facebook page.
More celebrations
Members of the Ohio Court Reporters Association (OCRA) met with their legislators and justices in the state’s Capitol and handed out OCRA cookies, as well as took the opportunity to discuss a salary increase bill being considered. In addition, several OCRA members participated in a local career fair to round the week of activities out.
An email was also sent by OCRA to the entire Common Pleas Court of Cuyahoga County, on behalf of Administrative and Presiding Judge Brendan Sheehan, that offers insight to the role of official court reporters as well as the answers to several frequently asked questions. Located in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County is one of the largest Common Pleas Courts in the state and employs more than 41 official court reporters.
Members of the Virginia Court Reporters Association marked the week with brunches and other social gatherings throughout the state including in Tysons Corner, Richmond, Roanoke, and Virginia Beach.
Members of the Tennessee Court Reporters Association celebrated by hosting an informational table for the third year at the state capitol where they promoted the court reporting and captioning professions.
And in Mississippi, members of the Mississippi Court Reporters Association hosted a Day at the Capitol where they handed out lemonade and cookies to legislators and promoted the important work court reporters and captioners do.
The Court Reporting Club at Cuyahoga Community College in Cuyahoga, Ohio, hosted two meet-and-greet sessions with working reporters for all the students at the college. The professionals shared their experiences and best advice and then answered student questions. Students have shared that it was highly motivating as well as giving them actionable steps they can follow for success! Both sessions were also webcast to students nationwide.
Also hard at work celebrating throughout the week were members of the New York State Court Reporters Association (NYSCRA). NYSCRA Voluntary Certification Testing Committee Co-Chairs Debra A. Levinson, RMR, CRR, CMRS, CRI, a freelance court reporter from White Plains, and Joshua B. Edwards, RDR, CRR, a captioner from New York City, offered multiple previews of their new Realtime Refine 2020 workshop. Two separate sessions of the free previews were held in Midtown Manhattan, and again at the New York School of Court Reporting.
Karen Santucci, CRI, NYSCRA vice president and the director of the court reporting program at Plaza College in Queens, said the school kicked off the week with a visit by state Sen. Joseph Addabbo, who presented Plaza with a proclamation recognizing its dedication to educating men and women in the field of court reporting. During the week, the school also hosted five guest speakers representing official court reporters, firm owners, and grand jury reporters to share stories of their experiences. In addition, NCRA Board member Meredith Bonn, RPR, CRR, an official court reporter from Webster, N.Y., attended a meetup to honor the week in Syracuse hosted by NYSCRA Board member and official court reporter from Syracuse, Hannah Cavanaugh, RPR CRR.
In other celebrations, members in the Rochester area held a celebration that included the county executive, as well as an NCRA A to Z® graduate who begins college soon, freelancers, officials, administrators, attorneys, and judges.
And in Maryland, Margary Rogers, RPR, CRI, an official court reporter and secretary of the Maryland Court Reporters Association (MCRA) and Ronda Thomas, MCRA president-elect, organized and participated in a Promote Your Profession event at a local mall. Joined by other members of MCRA, they hosted tables set up in the food court and passed out flyers about the court reporting and captioning professions, provided steno machine demonstrations, and answered questions from inquiring shoppers.
We are still collecting stories about how members, states, and schools marked this year’s event. Send your information and photos to NCRA’s Communications Team at pr@ncra.org. And don’t forget, just because the week is over, there are still plenty of resources located at the Court Reporting & Captioning Week resource page that can be adapted for use to promote the court reporting and captioning professions year-round. In the meantime, mark your calendars and make plans to celebrate 2021 Court Reporting & Captioning Week scheduled for Feb. 6-13.
[…] people who are deaf or hard of hearing. This grassroots campaign overlapped the celebration of the NCRA Court Reporting & Captioning Week, held February 8-15, during which the Association secured official proclamations recognizing the […]