For making significant contributions to scholastic journalism, JEA will recognize Annette Johnson and the Los Angeles Times High School Insider as 2026 Friends of Scholastic Journalism during the Fall 2026 JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Orlando this November.
Annette Johnson
Annette Johnson has worked as a yearbook representative for Varsity Yearbook (previously Herff Jones) for more than 35 years.
California adviser Melissa Cameron said Johnson goes above and beyond the expectations of a yearbook rep.
“She is a trusted adviser, a problem solver and a friend,” Cameron said. “She genuinely cares about our success because she genuinely cares about us. Perhaps the best example of how she brings a truly human touch to her work was when she offered to drive one of my students to school each morning because he did not have transportation. Annette is simply a really good person, and it shows in her work with scholastic journalism.”
Further, when Cameron’s students decided to try and restart their school’s newspaper after the previous teacher retired, Johnson volunteered to help pick a name and brainstorm some coverage ideas.
Retired adviser Dan Austin has known Johnson for more than 35 years, and she was his yearbook representative for 10 years. He said his students would cheer when she came into the newsroom.
“She was equal parts yearbook mom, therapist and guardian angel, with a keen eye for graphic design to boot,” Austin said. “She was a powerful conceptual thinker who loved great stories. And, somehow, she always found a way to coax our eclectic collection of broken-down Macs to the finish line. To my students, there seemed to be nothing Annette couldn’t do, wouldn’t do, for the sake of the program.”
Los Angeles Times High School Insider
The Los Angeles Times High School Insider has been a platform for student voices for the past 12 years. Students who don’t have a student publication can post their stories for others to read on the High School Insider website. The site also offers an additional outlet for stories and videos for students who do have student media on their campus.
In addition, High School Insider partners with Southern California JEA and the journalism department at California State University, Northridge, to organize the longest running high school journalism workshop in Southern California, J-Day, each fall. High School Insider also offers a paid summer internship program and has an advisory board made up of high school student journalists.
California adviser Adriana Chavira, MJE, has been involved with High School Insider since it started. She had two students selected for the summer internship program and two other students serve on their advisory board. Chavira said all four spoke highly of the guidance they got from the people they met through High School Insider.
Jenny Marquez was a two-year member of the student advisory board and worked closely with them through high school. She was even able to report on a red-carpet event for them.
“During my involvement with High School Insider, I’ve received endless support and mentorship,” Marquez said. “Through their student advisory board, I’ve become a better student journalist as I’ve been encouraged by the High School Insider community to ask questions, build community with student journalists across the globe and seasoned Los Angeles Times journalists, and, most importantly, learn more about journalism.”