The Journalism Education Association names seven Medal of Merit winners in 2026. They will be recognized for their significant contributions to scholastic journalism during the JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Orlando this November.
The 2026 Medal of Merit recipients are:
- Makena Busch, CJE, Mead High School, Spokane, Washington
- Kaitlin Edgerton, MJE, Stevenson High School, Sterling Heights, Michigan
- Christina Hammitt, CJE, Cranbrook Kingswood Middle School for Boys, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
- Paul Kandell, Palo Alto (California) High School
- Glenn Krake, CJE, West Linn (Oregon) High School
- Kari Riemer, Hendrickson High School, Pflugerville, Texas
- Brit Taylor, Hagerty High School, Oviedo, Florida
Makena Busch, CJE
Makena Busch, CJE, advises the Pantera yearbook and Panther’s Howl newspaper at Mead High School in Spokane, Washington. She is also serving her third term as secretary for the Washington Journalism Education Association.
JEA Vice President Justin Daigle, MJE, has worked with Busch the past eight years to create the three-day schedule at Inland Northwest Yearbook Camp.
“What I love about working with Makena is how she is always thinking about how we can include a nice balance of ‘giving kids information and skills’ and then time to ‘reflect and apply,’” Daigle said. “Our ultimate goal each year is for students and advisers to leave camp with fresh ideas and skills that are applicable and purposeful. We are able to accomplish this and more each year, and a big part of that is because of Makena’s ideas and planning.”
At National High School Journalism Conventions, Busch presents sessions, judges JEA National Student Media Contests and National Journalism Quiz Bowls, and consults with other yearbook staffs. She has also served as a National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker judge.
During the summer, she teaches at camps in Washington, Florida, Oregon, Colorado and California. Closer to home, she created a local CTE advisory yearbook group for advisers in the Inland Northwest.
“She wants to ensure all teachers have a safe space to collaborate and grow,” Missouri adviser Debra Klevens, CJE, said. “Makena excels as an educator and has significantly contributed to the journalism community through her mentorship, guidance and participation in various professional development platforms.”
Kaitlin Edgerton, MJE
Kaitlin Edgerton, MJE, teaches yearbook and newspaper at Stevenson High School in Sterling Heights, Michigan. She is the JEA Michigan state director and has been a member of Michigan Interscholastic Press Association’s executive board for 10 years, holding various positions, including president.
Michigan adviser Sara-Beth Badalamente, CJE, said she has benefited from Edgerton’s support.
“Kaitlin is a champion for scholastic journalism,” Badalamente said. “Always active on our MIPA LISTSERV … and multiple journalism Facebook groups, she is always helping her fellow advisers troubleshoot problems and offers her own original lessons to the group.”
JEA Certification Chair Rod Satterthwaite, MJE, co-taught at MIPA’s Adviser Institute with Edgerton.
“Perhaps the most significant and lasting contribution to the profession that Katilin has made so far is the creation of the MIPA Adviser Institute,” Satterthwaite said. “What began as her JEA MJE project has grown into a full-fledged professional development program, now held each summer alongside the student MIPA Summer Journalism Workshop at Michigan State University. The Adviser Institute gives both new and veteran advisers a dedicated, immersive space to build stronger curricula, deepen their understanding of media law and ethics, sharpen their coaching and revision skills, and learn how to structure a thriving student media program — all while their own students are just steps away at the concurrent youth workshop. Kaitlin didn’t just complete a project for her MJE, she built an institution, one which advisers will continue to benefit from for years to come.”
Christina Hammitt, CJE
Christina Hammitt, CJE, advises publications at Cranbrook Kingswood Middle School for Boys in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. She is the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association second vice president and previously served as president.
Michigan adviser Darcy Hassing, CJE, said Hammitt’s most significant contribution is creating MIPA’s Aspiring Young Journalist Award.
“Middle school journalism is a level of scholastic press that is too often treated as an afterthought, if it’s recognized at all,” Hassing said. “During her term as MIPA president, Christina changed that, championing the first state-level recognition ever given to middle school journalists in Michigan.”
Anne Boles Levy, who previously worked as a journalist, advises the newspaper at Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School and has many of Hammitt’s former students on her staff.
“I cannot promote them fast enough,” Levy said. “Two of my top editors are her alumni, and along with their classmates, they’re writing or photographing many of our most complex, nuanced stories, laying out some of the lovelier pages, and mentoring the students who weren’t as fortunate to come up through Christina’s pipeline.”
In addition, during the summer, Hammitt helped Detroit kids put together a digital newsletter for Horizons Upward Bound, a federally funded co-curricular that identifies low-income, first-gen students and readies them for college.
“That news site, HUB Cap, gets produced in just a few weeks from scratch with a wholly new staff,” Levy said. “And it’s also beautifully designed and well written.”
Paul Kandell
Paul Kandell advises The Paly Voice, KPLY Paly radio, and several magazines at Palo Alto High School in California. He has served as a board member of the Journalism Education Association of Northern California since 2009.
JEA Northern California President Tracy Anne Sena reached out to Kandell for support as a new adviser.
“Paul has not only been a longtime supporter of scholastic journalism beyond the walls of his classroom, but his journalism programs have been longtime innovators in what we used to call ‘new media,’” Sena said.
The Paly Voice was one of the first online news programs in the country.
“Paul preached that news sites should be their own publications, published in real time, rather than just digital archives of a print publication,” Sena said. “The idea was revolutionary for scholastic journalism in the early 2000s.”
Retired California adviser Ellen Austin, MJE, worked at Palo Alto with Kandell for several years. Despite having California Educational Code 48907, the first law in the country to give students control over what they publish, Kandell has supported several northern California advisers who have found themselves at odds with their administrators for supporting their students.
“Colleagues who are troubled or need advice can count on Paul to respond to their questions or concerns if he thinks he can help,” Austin said. “He’s been central in that role for decades as a mentor and supporter to advisers in the area who need feedback, and as an ally to colleagues who face threats in their own programs.”
Glenn Krake, CJE
Glenn Krake, CJE, advises at West Linn High School in Oregon. He is JEA Oregon state director as well as an OJEA board member.
Oregon adviser Michelle Balmeo, MJE, serves on the OJEA board with Krake and said he has launched several new initiatives that have had a direct impact on scholastic journalism in Oregon.
“Glenn started a regular email newsletter, full of information and opportunities for advisers, delivered in a fun, personable format,” Balmeo said. “A few years ago, Glenn and another adviser volunteered to overhaul our media day on-site contests. Their hard work and careful planning has led to consistent year over year growth in participation. And, most recently, Glenn nearly single-handedly brought to life our vision of an All-State Oregon Journalism team. In hopes of expanding the number of entries in the Oregon Journalist of the Year contest, All-State encourages students to begin building a professional portfolio early in their high school career, which we hope will lead to a rise in the number of students who are prepared to apply for Oregon Journalist of the Year toward the end of their time in high school.”
OJEA president Beth Zilk, CJE, said Krake has made a “profound impact” in Oregon.
“His leadership has reinvigorated our journalism community,” Zilk said. “Whether he’s at a state convention or a summer camp, Glenn is always reaching out — welcoming new advisers, offering help and encouraging involvement. He’s an incredible ambassador for student journalism. He inspires those around him and constantly looks for ways to improve journalism education for students and advisers alike.”
Kari Riemer, CJE
Kari Riemer, CJE, has advised publications for 39 years, the last 29 of those at Hendrickson High School in Pflugerville, Texas. Riemer served the Texas Association of Journalism Educators for 12 years in various roles, including regional representative, secretary, president-elect, president and past president.
Interscholastic League Press Conference director Alyssa Boehringer worked with Riemer on the TAJE board.
“In her time on the TAJE board, Kari’s leadership got us through some tough moments and built us some incredible momentum,” Boehringer said. “We built back convention attendance after COVID-19. We hosted amazing events with impressive speakers. We honored more students than ever before through TAJE’s contests.”
Former ILPC Director Jeanne Acton recalled her final ILPC convention when a speaker who was going to talk about covering the LGBTQ+ community had to cancel at the last minute. Riemer stepped up, and within 15 minutes she taught a session on the topic, along with help from her students. Several students said it was the best session they attended. One even said it changed her mind about leaving Texas after graduation, and she decided she would stay to make a difference by covering that community.
“Most teachers are givers. It’s just what they do,” Acton said. “They give to their students. They give to the administration. They give to parents. They just give. And Kari definitely is a giver. But she doesn’t stop at her students, her school or her parents. Kari gives to scholastic journalism — a lot. She judges. She teaches workshops. She mentors. She doesn’t know the word ‘no.’”
Brit Taylor
Brit Taylor advises yearbook, newspaper and online news at Hagerty High School in Oviedo, Florida. He served two terms as vice president for the Florida Scholastic Press Association before becoming president in 2019, stepping into the role mid-term when the previous president left the classroom.
“The transition felt effortless, and the organization was clicking — until, of course, early 2020,” said FSPA Contest Chair Joe Humphrey, MJE. “When it became clear that we would have to cancel the spring state convention, Brit led the team in reinventing itself on the fly by creating a virtual convention. Working alongside our new executive director, board members, volunteers and students, he helped deliver a successful event. Under his leadership, FSPA has continued to thrive online through weekly sessions and an enhanced social media presence.”
Although no longer a member of the FSPA board, Taylor is local co-chair for the upcoming Fall 2026 JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Orlando.
In addition, for more than 25 years, Taylor has been an instructor at Camp Orlando, Walsworth Yearbooks’ summer workshop, teaching every level, from first-year staff members to veteran advisers. He also developed the workshop’s multimedia journalism course, helping students expand traditional yearbook storytelling into digital platforms and preparing them for the evolving media landscape.
“Whether speaking to hundreds at a conference or mentoring a single adviser, Brit generously shares his knowledge and elevates the profession,” Florida Scholastic Press Association Executive Director Adam Livesay, CJE, said. “He has mentored countless advisers, strengthened professional organizations, shared innovative teaching practices, and consistently invested his time and expertise in helping others succeed.”
Louisa Avery, MJE, JEA Awards Committee chair