JEA Friends of Scholastic Journalism. 6 mugshots, Ann Akers, MJE, Linda Bowen, Jill Chittum, Bobby Hawthorne, Paul Jensen, Jessica Votipka

By Louisa Avery, MJE, JEA awards chair

Six individuals who have made significant contributions to scholastic journalism will be honored as Friends of Scholastic Journalism this fall. They will be formally recognized during the Fall JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention.

The award recipients are Ann Akers, MJE; Linda Bowen, Jill Chittum, Bobby Hawthorne, Paul Jensen and Jessica Votipka.

Ann Akers, MJE

Ann Akers, MJE, has served the scholastic journalism community for the past 40 years. Beginning as an adviser in 1980 and now working as an education specialist for Herff Jones. Akers was also the associate director of the National Scholastic Press Association from 2000 to 2006.

“Ann Akers is the best kind of friend a journalism adviser can have,” McLean High School adviser Meghan Percival, MJE, said. “She is smart — with an encyclopedic knowledge of scholastic journalism history, she can recall the specifics of a particular yearbook from decades ago with ease. She is a connector — she introduces journalism advisers to the people who will soon become their mentors, colleagues or best friends. She is a champion — for hard working advisers, students and for scholastic journalism in general.”

In her role at Herff Jones, Akers has been instrumental in the preparation of “Portfolio,” the company’s annual compilation of its best yearbooks, and she has helped deliver the adviser workshop each summer. She has led the consultant program, managed the Herff Jones presence at all national conferences, trained multiple graphic designers in yearbook design structure, and wrote and edited the quarterly magazine and multiple years of World Yearbooks.

“It’s not about accolades or accomplishments,” retired adviser Dan Austin said. “It’s about her humanity, about her passion for the craft and resolve to lift people up. That’s what Ann does best — lift others. She is the very best friend of every scholastic journalist she works with — the essence of this award.”

Linda Bowen

Linda Bowen has been on the journalism faculty at California State University Northridge for more than 20 years, including more than 10 years as department chair. Bowen was a newspaper reporter and editor at several community news outlets in California before becoming a professor, where she has focused on teaching journalism skills and fostering civic engagement through community and K-12 projects.

“As CSUN Journalism Department chair for 10 years, she has also been instrumental at planning the annual J-Day event that allows high school journalism students to test their skills against their peers and experience what it’s like to be a reporter on deadline,” CSUN Journalism Chair Stephanie Bluestein said. “Coupled with the workshops that followed the competitions, high school journalism students left the event feeling more confident and informed about current issues and journalism careers.” 

“She always does a great job of making sure we have great speakers and the space necessary to host this event plus swag for the students and their advisers,” said Adriana Chavira, MJE, adviser at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School.

In the early 2000s, Bowen started a class at CSUN called Media Mentors, where college journalism students were assigned to visit high school journalism classes on a weekly basis and provide tutoring or give lessons to the students.

“I loved having a media mentor work with my advanced journalism students,” Chavira said. “The media mentors often shared new or innovative strategies that they were learning in their university classes.”

Jill Chittum

Jill Chittum worked as a professional journalist and a high school publications adviser for eight years before joining Walsworth Yearbooks, where she currently serves as the territory Walsworth Yearbooks sales rep in Fort Worth, Texas.

Andrew Young, CJE, first met Chittum when he took over as adviser of The Round-Up yearbook at Woodland Junior High School.

“When I first told Jill I wanted to take our yearbook to the next level, she told me to pick one thing for that year and knock it out of the park. So we did,” Young said.  “Then the next year, even though she had moved and was no longer my rep, she still stayed in touch with me and continued to push me and my program. Not only did she help my program over the years, but she also agreed to present with me at the national journalism convention in Dallas when I was too nervous to present alone.”

Emily Pyeatt Arnold, CJE, adviser at Aledo High School, said she is impressed by how Chittum models being a lifelong learner and stays relevant by learning current trends in scholastic journalism.

“One of the things that amazes me most about Jill is …  how she serves the scholastic journalism community beyond the publishing company with a servant’s heart,” Pyeatt Arnold said. “From teaching sessions at state and national conventions to voluntarily judging for ATPI photo contests, I know that Jill is willing to serve selflessly.”

Bobby Hawthorne

Bobby Hawthorne is a writer and frequent instructor at journalism and writing workshops coast to coast. His book, “The Radical Write” has been the preeminent textbook on reporting and writing for student publications nationwide for more than three decades.

“No one has inspired me more to be a better teacher than Bobby Hawthorne,” retired adviser Lori Oglesbee said. “The publishing of the first edition of ‘The Radical Write’ revolutionized my approach to teaching journalistic writing. He curated examples of student writing from classrooms across the country, many of which he had taught in. These examples proved to me that my student writers had that same potential with the proper instruction.”

Texas Interscholastic League Press Conference Director and University Interscholastic League Journalism Director Alyssa Boehringer said she learned how to coach writers by watching him judge a series of UIL district meets. 

“With each meet we’d attend, I’d read his comments and listen to him talk through the contest,” Boehringer said. “Winners or non-winners, when students get specific, constructive writing feedback from Bobby, they are getting something special. Watching him do this directly shaped my approach to coaching writers.”

Oglesbee notes that he is one of the most sought after speakers because he tailors his presentations to each situation. 

“That’s why he has made such an impact on the teaching profession,” Oglesbee said. “His content, delivery and observations model the style of teaching that encourages us all to explore new methods in our own classrooms.”

Paul Jensen

Paul Jensen recently retired after serving as the executive director of the Iowa High School Press Association for 10 years. He was instrumental in passing Iowa Code 280.22:7, which added an adviser protection clause to the student expression law in Iowa.

Retired adviser Leslie Shipp, MJE, said Jensen convinced a House member from Cedar Rapids to introduce the legislation. It was on its way through the House when the session was interrupted by COVID-19. Jensen helped bring it back to life the following year. At the Education Sub-Committee meeting he explained why advisers need protection. 

“One of my students spoke at the meeting as she could give ample examples of administration threatening me,” Shipp said. “She felt comfortable going to the Capitol and speaking to 15 legislators because she knew Paul would be there.”

Recommender Natalie Niemeyer-Lorenz said Jensen took time to get to know advisers and students, frequently visiting classrooms.

“He would sit down and talk to students, ask questions, build relationships,” Niemeyer-Lorenz said. “This went way beyond the scope of his job description, but Paul believed this would improve IHSPA and it did.”

Part of Jensen’s role with the University of Iowa was running the Iowa Summer Journalism Workshops. The University of Iowa suddenly decided to cancel the workshops without consulting any of the stakeholders.

“Paul was 100% on the side of advisers and students,” Niemeyer-Lorenz said. “Paul helped us organize and advocate to bring the workshops back, and we did. The years after we brought it back, it thrived.”

Jessica Votipka

Jessica Votipka is recognized for her work as an education reporter at The Independent in Grand Island, Nebraska. In 2022, she broke the story that Northwest High School cut its newspaper, The Viking Saga, after it published a Pride issue for the month of June. As a result, she won Nebraska Press Association first-place prize in in-depth reporting.

Although the newspaper was later reinstated electronically, the adviser, Kirsten Gilliland, CJE, was reassigned. She agreed to speak to Votipka off the record.

“Votipka was just as passionate about the topic of censorship as me, but she was fully aware of and concerned about how my going on the record could negatively affect my future as an educator and undermine the students’ fight,” Gilliland said. “Because of Votipka’s reporting, I know student press freedom is something Nebraskans know more about and hopefully will be supportive of the next time New Voices legislation is proposed to prevent censorship like this from happening again.”

Marcus Pennell was a student on staff at the time of the censorship and has since filed suit against the district. Pennell agreed to be interviewed about the censorship and their experiences as a transgender student. “She was overwhelmingly respectful about my identity and the information I shared with her, allowing me to be vulnerable with her without fear,” Pennell said. “She has helped me realize that I do have the ability to pursue journalism as a career and has inspired me to follow in her footsteps as an exceptional journalist.”

Lindsay Porter

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