10 earn JEA’s Lifetime Achievement Award
Ten journalism educators will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Journalism Education Association at the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention in Orlando, Florida, Nov. 14.
JEA gives this award to retirees for lifetime dedication to journalism education.
Deb Buttleman Malcolm, MJE, of Moline, Illinois, advised the newspaper, online site and yearbook at Davenport Central High School in Iowa until retiring in 2014. Increasing diversity was her hallmark. Along with her students, she developed a model journalism program for elementary and middle school students in Central’s feeder schools, which encouraged them to consider journalism in high school.
Linda P. Evanchyk, MJE, is a two-time Florida Journalism Teacher of the Year. In 36 years of teaching, she has spent 34 years advising publications, primarily at Choctawhatchee High School in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. As a former Florida Scholastic Press Association board member, she helped plan conventions and workshops.
Ann Healey of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, retired from advising at Castle View High School in Castle Rock, Colorado, after taking its journalism program from newsprint to a strong magazine and online presence. She came to the job with a strong background in professional media from community journalism in Colorado, a field to which she has returned.
Barbara Hines of Silver Spring, Maryland, established the Maryland Scholastic Press Association at the University of Maryland, was named the Baltimore Sun papers Maryland Journalism Teacher of the Year, was recognized by the Dow Jones News Fund as a top adviser and honored by state, regional and national press associations for her work in scholastic journalism. She joined the Howard University journalism faculty in 1984. For the past 21 years she has served on accrediting teams to focus attention on the importance of scholastic journalism to colleges and universities.
Gary Lindsay, MJE, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, advised the newspaper at John F. Kennedy High School for 40 years before retiring in 2011. He continues to have great impact on students and advisers serving as a JEA mentor, a judge, a speaker and the keeper of dozens of online lesson plans and other advising materials.
During 40 years of teaching, Mike Riley, CJE, started the broadcast journalism program at Cody (Wyoming) High School and was the adviser for 18 years. He also taught various English classes, photography, mass communications and film appreciation. For 13 years, he advised The Equus newspaper, which he started at CHS in 1991, and he advised The Bronc yearbook for 14 years. He served as executive director of the Wyoming High School Student Press Association for five years, and as JEA’s broadcast contest coordinator for four years. He now is a JEA mentor, helping new advisers in his state.
Sandra Strall of South Rockwood, Michigan, advised 43 publications at Carlson High School, Gibraltar, Michigan, before retiring in June 2015. During her career, she became a cheerleader for student publications not only in Michigan but across the nation as she taught at numerous workshops and conventions. Her staffs consistently won Michigan Interscholastic Press Association’s Spartan Award, the highest honor in the state, as well as garnering several national Crown awards from Columbia Scholastic Press Association and Pacemaker awards from National Scholastic Press Association. She was honored as a JEA Distinguished Yearbook Adviser in 2003 and received a Gold Key from Columbia Scholastic Press Association in 2009.
Steven Jay Thor of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, advised 37 years in Broward County, Florida, teaching broadcast, newspaper, yearbook and film. He was the lead teacher of the communications magnet at Deerfield Beach High School from 2000-2012. Thor was dedicated to helping journalism programs thrive in inner-city schools. He created District 7 for the Florida Scholastic Press Association in 1983 for Broward, Martin and Palm Beach counties. He was the FSPA District 7 director, and one of his responsibilities was creating the annual fall workshop. Thor served as FSPA president 1989-1991 and was named Florida’s 2012 Journalism Teacher of the Year.
Steven Unruhe recently retired as math teacher and journalism adviser at Riverside High School in Durham, North Carolina. He is as well respected for his math-teaching skills as he is for his student media advising. He spent three decades defending student free expression and teaching the quadratic formula. Unruhe recently completed training as a JEA mentor and will serve new advisers in his home state.
Thomas E. Winski, MJE, of Roseville, Illinois, completed a 35-year career teaching journalism at in 2011, retiring from Winchester (Illinois) High School. He has been recognized by numerous organizations including Quill and Scroll, JEA, NSPA, College Media Association and the Illinois Journalism Education Association. He has experience as a photojournalist, news reporter, newspaper editor and public relations director. He advised staffs of 20 yearbooks, 25 newspapers and 11 arts magazines, all of which were award-winning publications.
The Journalism Education Association is headquartered at Kansas State University. It supports free and responsible scholastic journalism by providing resources and educational opportunities and by promoting professionalism in student media education and advising.