For their significant contributions throughout their scholastic journalism careers, Kathy Habiger, MJE, of Mill Valley High School in Shawnee, Kansas, and Pete LeBlanc of Antelope (California) High School are JEA’s 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award recipients. They will be honored at the Spring JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Minneapolis.

Kathy Habiger, MJE, is retiring this school year after 30 years of teaching at Mill Valley High School. In addition to advising the yearbook, newspaper and online site, Habiger is also president of the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and a member of the KSPA Hall of Fame.

Retired Kansas adviser Jim McCrossen said Habiger has dedicated a professional lifetime to the service of scholastic journalism across the country.

“Cheerleader is the first role I think of with Kathy,” McCrossen said. “She is a cheerleader for her students at Mill Valley High School in Kansas. She is a cheerleader for the work her students do, defending their rights to consistently publish journalistically sound material that is also award winning. She is a cheerleader for Kansas City serving as a local co-chair for a JEA/NSPA national convention; and, she is a cheerleader for Kansas high school students through her work with the Kansas Scholastic Press Association, in which she has held every position possible.”

Habiger served on the local committee for three national high school journalism conventions in Kansas City, including once as the local co-chair.

Kansas adviser Becky Tate met Habiger when she was a student teacher. That student teaching placement grew into a decades-long career devoted to scholastic journalism. Aside from her work with her own students, Habiger has mentored advisers and led workshops across the country.

“Her service has never been about titles — it has been about doing the work that needs to be done and doing it well,” Tate said. “Advisers across the country have benefited from her willingness to lead, advise and step in when help was needed.”

Pete LeBlanc advises newspaper, yearbook and broadcast at Antelope High School in California.

Oregon adviser Michelle Balmeo, MJE, was LeBlanc’s student when he taught at Center High School in Antelope. She credits him for changing the trajectory of her life.

“My world was widened through journalism because I had an adviser who empowered me,” Balmeo said. “In the environment he created in our publications lab, I had the opportunity to develop a skillset that has served me well in life — curiosity, confidence, leadership, resilience in the face of adversity, and the invaluable skill of expressing my thoughts clearly.”

Retired California adviser Dan Austin said LeBlanc changed the way yearbook staffs approach coverage and integrate the book’s theme into the storytelling.

“The giants in any field, at least in my mind, accomplish two criteria: Do things we’ve never seen before. Change the way the discipline is practiced,” Austin said. “Both criteria apply to Pete in spades.”

California adviser Tamra McCarthy, CJE, said what makes LeBlanc exceptional is not just his skill — it is his spirit.

“His mentorship is grounded in generosity, kindness and a genuine desire to help others succeed,” McCarthy said. “He paved the way for the next generation of advisers and stood on the sidelines cheering us forward — quietly, consistently and without ever seeking credit. He never hesitated to answer a question, offer guidance or provide reassurance in the moments when we doubted ourselves. And he never forgot that the heart of journalism education is the students, the stories and the relationships we build.”