Board of Directors


Executive Director

Kelly Glasscock, CJE
Journalism Education Association
105 Kedzie Hall
828 Mid-Campus Dr. S.
Manhattan, KS 66506-1500
W: 785-532-7822  |  C: 316-619-9403
Contact

Membership: Voting membership stands at 2,532, which is slightly more than a comparable time last spring. Memberships in Texas continue to see tremendous growth, up 127 percent since last spring. Total membership grew 102 percent in the past year despite a continual decline in affiliate memberships.

At least one type of membership is represented in all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. JEA has also seen a 125 percent increase in Non-U.S. memberships since last spring.

Happenings:

Jan. 3-5: Advisers Institute site visit, New Orleans, Louisiana

Jan. 19-21: JEA Board of Directors budget planning meeting, Manhattan, Kansas

Feb. 3: Convention planning meeting, San Francisco

Feb. 6-7: P21 Strategic Council meeting, Washington, D.C.

March 4: Convention planning meeting, Anaheim

March 30: Launch of new JEA.org

Financial Position: As of March 13, 2018, JEA’s expenses are $556,988.41 whereas total revenue is $543,123.36, which leaves a shortage of $24,574.26. While JEA has incurred expenses for the upcoming convention in San Francisco, the revenue from registrations have not been shared yet. I expect to recoup the difference and finish the fiscal year on solid footing. JEA’s financial position boasts a comfortable reserve with $1,619,000 in total current assets.


President

Sarah Nichols, MJE
Whitney High School
701 Wildcat Blvd.
Rocklin, CA 95765
C: 916-705-3684
Contact

The highs and lows of the past month have magnified the importance of what we do as journalism educators and have shown what’s possible when students are empowered to use their voices. Our roles as teachers and advisers matter more than ever. We often look for ways to draw attention to scholastic journalism and the engaged, thoughtful, empathetic communicators on our media staffs. For once, the whole nation is watching and listening. While I would never choose the circumstances under which they fell into the spotlight, I could not be more proud of Melissa Falkowski and Sarah Lerner, CJE — and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas journalists — for how they have served their community, demonstrated courage and empathy while working swiftly and professionally and continue to use their experience as an opportunity to generate dialogue and create change.

As a board, our team has been focused and connected. In December we revised our goals and began a tighter, more targeted approach toward efforts in outreach, mentoring, cross-programming and publishing with partners in education/media and developing New Voices workshops. In addition, we implemented monthly meetings via Google Hangout to foster collaboration and hold each other accountable.

I’m especially excited about our new relationship as an Organizational Partner with the National Association for Media Literacy Education. (Did you see JEA featured in the member Spotlight series?) Our members and their students will benefit from the NAMLE-sponsored media literacy preconvention workshop we’re offering Nov. 1 in Chicago as part of the Fall National High School Journalism Convention.

Our relationship with P21 continues to develop as well. Through a new connection within our Strategic Council network, Kelly and I had the opportunity to research and pursue Participate, which we plan to utilize as an online portal for a variety of member services, including different types of training and virtual workshops. From playing a role in the upcoming #SkillsForToday rollout (April 23-27) to discussing ideas for collaboration at SXSW EDU and joining the policy group for work with the 21st Century Skills Caucus, our P21 involvement to date has been highly beneficial.

Some of my other efforts during the past five months have included the following:

  • Appointing Patrick Johnson, MJE, to chair the JEA Mentoring Committee, after a resignation in November. In addition, I hosted a two-hour meeting online with Patrick and some of the committee members Jan. 4 in order for us all to ask questions, share ideas, increase understanding and affirm our commitment to mentoring. I am impressed with Patrick’s efforts so far and grateful for the guidance and feedback he has received from others during the transition.
  • Working with Jonathan Rogers, MJE, to coordinate JEA programming at the NCTE 2018 convention in Houston, including “21st-century Storytelling Through Digital Media”
  • Attending the budget meeting (Jan. 19-21 in Manhattan, Kansas) and working with Executive Director Kelly Glasscock, CJE, on Advisers Institute and other projects
  • Launching the #Press4Education initiative with SPJ’s Journalism Ed committee
  • Attending the Partnership for 21st Century Learning Strategic Council meeting (Feb. 6-7 in Washington, D.C.)
  • Judging the high school print and broadcast categories on behalf of JEA for the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards

One of the highlights is working with all of our appointed leaders each week to offer support and feedback on their multiple projects and ideas in progress. They are amazing!

As I have said before and will say again, I am filled with gratitude — for our staff, for our tireless volunteer leaders, for the important ideas and questions we get from an engaged membership and for my own opportunity to serve JEA. Thank you!


Vice President

Valerie Kibler, MJE
Harrisonburg High School
1001 Garbers Church Road
Harrisonburg, VA 22801
W: 540-433-2651  |  C: 540-533-8775
Contact

It’s been almost a year since I began my term on the board, and it has been so exciting to see everyone working to accomplish the goals we developed at our board retreat last spring. I continue to be amazed with the number of volunteers we have across this nation who are so giving of their time and energy to help out teachers and ultimately scholastic journalists.

In the time since the last report, I’ve been involved in a variety of ways, which include:

  • Attending the JEA budget meeting (Jan. 19-21 in Manhattan, Kansas).
  • Participating in a New Voices Google Hangout to begin Virginia’s quest for New Voices legislation.
  • Participating in monthly Google Hangouts with the board to communicate progress on reaching our goals.
  • Appointing new state directors in Utah, Connecticut and Arizona. We are lucky to have Morgan Olsen, David Fortier and Christine Brandell Melendez on our team. We now have active state directors in every state except Alaska.
  • Conducting two virtual follow-up conferences with students at Willamina High School in Willamina, Oregon and their adviser Amy Korst as a part of the JEA/NSPA Partner Project.
  • Developing promotional updates for the 2018 Partner Project and planning for the expansion to two on-site partner schools as well as a minimum of five schools who will be chosen for individualized virtual conferences.

Thank you for your continued involvement with our organization. It’s awesome to know the hours committed to our initiatives and meeting our goals by leaders in our organization!


Director, Scholastic Press Rights

Lori Keekley, MJE
St. Louis Park High School
6425 W 33rd St
St. Louis Park, MN 55426
C: 612-636-3103  |  W: 952-928-6251
Contact

Lori Keekley, MJE

Since the last report, I have worked on several items for the Scholastic Press Rights Committee. It truly is an honor to serve this group and organization.

Since the last report, I’ve been involved in a variety of ways, which include:

  • Writing blogs and helping organize SPRC member voices.
  • Attending the JEA board budget meeting.
  • Working to assist the development of content for Scholastic Journalism Week.
  • Developing a Twitter maintenance plan @jeapressrights which includes a listserv post highlighting SPRC content for the week. This included Quick Tips, blog posts and Scholastic Journalism Week information.
  • Writing and asking the board to pass two statements of support for New Voices legislation (New York and Washington).
  • Developing additional Quick Tips.
  • Recruiting two new members for SPRC.
  • Revising the Blueprint for State Legislation including the Resource section.
  • Coordinating and compiling materials for the First Amendment Press Freedom Award.
  • Answering Panic Button requests and helping others who were assisting.
  • Helping develop the Write-off test for San Francisco.
  • Attending an informational session concerning hosting Lobby Days at the State Capitol.
  • Hosting a Lobby Day for the Minnesota New Voices legislation (March 19).
  • Meeting with the Minnesota Principal Association and School Board Association to discuss the New Voices bill.
  • Teaching press law sessions in Dallas.
  • Teaching about press law and ethics at the KEMPA (Wisconsin) advisers workshop.
  • Participating in Matt Smith’s, CJE, video concerning the need for New Voices.
  • Reaching out to states working on New Voices legislation.
  • Working with high school students and advisers who contact me with questions concerning press law and ethics.

John Bowen, MJE

Most of my time since Dallas has been spent on:

  • Assisting with Panic Button students and advisers seeking assistance with legal and ethical issues.
  • Posting to and updating information on the SPRC website.
  • Participating in development of the fake news section of the SPRC website.
  • Writing part of the website’s blog, social media posts and listserv posts about SPRC activities.
  • Working to develop a map of open forum scholastic media.

Jane Blystone, MJE

Since November:

  • I have worked to support two advisers who hit the Panic Button regarding censorship of yearbooks in Ohio and Nevada.
  • I have posted to @jeapressrights account.
  • Worked with an adviser/staffers in my area to host a press conference with their principal Feb. 20, 2018.

Lindsay Coppens

Since I joined this committee, I have submitted five blog posts on:

  • Takedown requests
  • Freedom to make mistakes
  • Connecting staff members with administrators
  • Revisiting mission statements
  • A positive view of obstacles and criticism

Maggie Cogar, CJE

My biggest contribution to SPRC this year was helping develop the fake news section of the SPRC website. I helped create lesson plans and blog posts to provide advisers with instructional content on fake news.

I also continue to work on my dissertation study on censorship in high school journalism. The study, titled Censorship in High School Journalism: Examining administrative censorship practices and other factors in relation to the degree of student self-censorship, will survey high school journalists at a national JEA/NSPA conference (hopefully, in fall 2018) and will examine the various levels of influence on student media content, including perceived administrative censorship and individual factors more likely to lead to higher levels of self-censorship. It is my hope to have this research completed and ready to submit for publication and presentations by May 2019.

Vince DeMiero

Since Dallas, I have:

  • Assisted with Panic Button students and advisers seeking assistance with legal and ethical issues
  • Focused nearly all of my time on getting SB 5064 (New Voices) legislation passed in Washington state
    • Met with legislators
    • Testified before the House Judiciary Committee
    • Sent dozens of emails to state legislators
    • Made numerous phone calls to state legislative committee members
    • Assisted students who sought advice about how to advocate for the New Voices measure
  • Continued to work with local and regional education leaders regarding student press issues

Jan Ewell, MJE

I’ve run student press rights sessions at the last two conventions. I have also written two student press law Quick Tips.

Mark Goodman

Over the course of this past year, I’ve spoken about press rights issues at scholastic journalism events including the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the Ohio Scholastic Media Association, the College Media Advisers, the Associated Collegiate Press as well as JEA/NSPA.  I’ve provided SPRC Chair Lori Keekley, MJE, with assessments of state student free press bills concerning which ones are appropriate for JEA support. I’ve answered questions on the JEAHelp listserv about legal issues, and I’ve drafted updates to Wikipedia entries on student press law issues to make them more accurately reflect the law.

Marina Hendricks, CJE

South Dakota has joined the New Voices campaign, thanks to an effort led by Gage Gramlick, editor-in-chief of the Statesman at Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls. Gage is giving a brief presentation at the South Dakota High School Press Convention on March 28. We hope that will inspire more South Dakota high school journalists to join next year’s legislative push. I continue to support the SPRC’s outreach as a member of the social media team, and I am contributing a blog post to the SPRC’s project on ethical guidelines for student journalists who are covering protests. Finally, a colleague and I just published our journal article about the Pennsylvania student journalists who fought to ban the name of their school’s sports mascot from their newspaper. The article is available online from Journalism & Mass Communication Educator.

Cyndi Hyatt

I have:

  • Written a couple of blog posts.  
  • Met with the Pennsylvania state director to talk about a New Voices campaign for our state, although we have pretty good protection already.
  • Had my newspaper staff tweet on the anniversary of Hazelwood.

Jeff Kocur, CJE

Minnesota has been working on gathering steam for the New Voices bill. We have met with representatives from the metropolitan school district association and the principals’ association. We have not had much luck in having them partner with us, but we are moving forward with a lobby day and trying to get a hearing with the appropriate committees. Minnesota has had some recent events that have challenged student free speech rights, though not necessarily in the realm of student press. We are working to find the student voices that can help us articulate the need for this legislation.

Glenn Morehouse Olson

I have independent study students this trimester who are interested in participating in the Minnesota New Voices awareness day at the Capitol, and I am going to try to get a few more students who took journalism over the last two trimesters to participate.

This past fall I did a session at the Minnesota State Convention about broadcast and had elements of press rights for broadcast programs in the presentation.

Candace Perkins Bowen, MJE

Since the Dallas convention in November, I have:

  1. Co-authored a law column for Winter, 2018, Dow Jones Adviser Update with John Bowen, MJE, about the First Amendment Press Freedom Awards, “Recognition for Schools that Respect and Protect First Amendment Rights.”
  2. Served on the First Amendment Press Freedom Awards selection committee with input for Round 1 and participated in the discussion for Round 2. I share with Press Rights chair Lori Keekley, MJE, my models of the messages to winners and those who didn’t win I have sent in the past.
  3. Contributed to the SPRC.org blog, posting Jan. 29 (“Recruiting the right kid: skills, attitude include accuracy, credibility, handling stress”) and Dec. 18 (“Empowerment, making a difference, is the REAL news”). I have another that was posted March 17 about the challenges with invasion of privacy and this generation’s belief that anything they can access is usable.
  4. I taught in Dallas and will be teaching in San Francisco “The Power of the Editorial Policy,” parts 1 and 2, with Lori Keekley, MJE, and John Bowen, MJE, and “Legal and Ethical Issues for Advisers,” the certification “study and background” session I give at each convention.

Kathy Schrier, MJE

My focus has been quite narrow since Dallas, with our final push to get New Voices legislation passed in Washington state. As I write this, the bill sits on Governor Inslee’s desk waiting for a signature, which, we’re told, will happen before Wednesday of next week (March 21). The bill did not take an easy path, with a number of unacceptable amendments, which had to be booted out before the bill could go for its final vote in the Senate. We are very happy with the end result and are proud of our work here. I’m currently setting up a meeting with the state Superintendent of Public Instruction to map out a strategy for educating stakeholders about the law and to help facilitate changes in district policies, as mandated by the new law.

I also helped (in a minor way) with the SPRC Making a Difference effort to collect and showcase stories from student media from around the country in conjunction with Scholastic Journalism Week.

Matthew Smith, CJE

I worked with my students as well as several other advisers/students from other schools to create and share videos for the Hazelwood anniversary.

  • We created a longer video with my editor-in-chief explaining some background and the need for New Voices.
  • We also edited together a much shorter version with statements from students, advisers, principals, school board members and others in support of New Voices.

I’ve also tried responding to two Panic Button requests related to broadcast programs.

John Tagliareni

Since the fall report, I have supported the goals of the SPRC in a number of ways.

I worked with our NJ New Voices Team after the election, to get sponsors to file new bills in the new legislative session. Assemblyman Ronald Wirths (R) resubmitted the bill in the assembly as A238, and Senator Nia Gill (D) resubmitted the bill in the senate as S1176.  

I have worked to get more sponsors for the same bipartisan support that we had for previous bills in both houses.

As a member of the New Voices USA Team, I assisted Mike Simons, MJE, with his efforts with the New York legislation, via email and in New York at Columbia, during the fall conference. I plan to meet with Mike again during the CSPA Spring Convention. I also presented sessions there on student press rights and New Voices legislation.

I have worked with Frank LoMonte, who is still very involved with our efforts. I am working to get more endorsements to benefit both New York and New Jersey, by combining the endorsements given by separate SPJ chapters, because we are in the same media market.

As a board member, I helped to plan and coordinate the GSSPA Fall Press Day, at Rutgers University, for approximately 800 students and advisers. I presented sessions for our student chapter and on student press rights and our New Voices legislation.

Kristin Taylor, CJE

I have blogged for SPRC since the last report. I will also be presenting a workshop on independent schools’ press freedoms at the SF Conference and will participate in press rights panels those two days.

Additionally, I am in the process of approval for a qualitative research study of Tracy Sena’s, CJE, program in San Francisco, where I will be exploring what factors make press freedom more likely in private schools like hers. In addition to the research paper and professional website I will be constructing this summer to complete my MA, I also plan to write about her program (with permission) and my experiences at my own school and submit to NAIS magazine as an argument for more independent schools to support true press freedom.

Audrey Wagstaff, MJE

I have:

  • Conducted a survey on attitudes toward First Amendment, censorship, and New Voices in Ohio — hoping it will help with moving toward forming a campaign here (and that the survey instrument and data can be shared to be used in other states) which will be useful for planned administrator outreach
  • Renewed my MJE
  • Created the following presentations/articles:
    • Wagstaff, A. E. (2017, August). Stifled Speech: Administrative and Adviser Self‐Censorship of the Scholastic Press. Presentation at the Scholastic Journalism Division Teach-In at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Annual National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.*
    • Wagstaff, A. E., & Knopf, T. (2017, Summer). To Publish or Perish: The Spiral of Silence and Other Pressures on Scholastic Media Advisers. Communication: Journalism Education Today, 36-39.

Stan Zoller, MJE

Since Dallas I have continued to blog for the SPRC blog. In addition to blogging, I have continued to monitor situations involving scholastic press rights, especially at Evanston Township High School, which confiscated the school newspaper in October. That monitoring led me to find apparent violations of Illinois’ FOIA and OMA laws. These violations have been submitted to the Illinois Attorney General for review. While not directly connected to scholastic journalism, the process has enabled me to add this situation as a case study in my presentations to various scholastic press associations.

I have also fostered relationships with individuals and organizations who are interested in scholastic press rights and have offered to work with journalists and advisers as needed. Several of these people have been asked to speak at the fall convention in Chicago in November.


Director, Educational Initiatives

Megan Fromm, MJE
Colorado Mesa University
Mass Communication
1100 North Ave.
Grand Junction, CO 81501
C: 970-640-0609  |  W: 970-248-1287
Contact

I’m excited to see many projects come to fruition in the next few months, and I’m thankful for the continued opportunity to serve journalism educators. Since my last report, my work has included:

  • Working with curriculum coordinators Shari Adwers, MJE, and Abri Nelson, CJE, to lead our curriculum team in developing and publishing the remaining lessons for the 2017-2018 round of content.
  • Developing the next phase of the curriculum initiative, which will focus on differentiation and usability. The spring’s work will be focused on moving curriculum training and development fully online and digital, shifting from the previous model of an in-person meeting at Advisers Institute.
  • Responding to member requests or questions about the curriculum, including navigating lessons and putting resources to use.
  • With NSPA colleagues, evaluating applications for the JEA/NSPA research grant and awarding more than $7,500 in grants to support scholastic journalism research.
  • Working with higher education liaison Kate Klonowski, MJE, to continue finding ways to connect secondary journalism education with higher education.
  • Creating a session for the Patterns of Innovation workshop hosted by the Partnership for 21st Century Learning in Napa March 26-28.
  • Teaching a session on covering tragedy at Colorado Mesa University’s Media Day.
  • Writing a post for MediaShift’s website about rethinking higher education to include more media literacy and civic skills courses.

Director-at-large

Tom Gayda, MJE
North Central High School
1801 E. 86th St.
Indianapolis, IN 46240
W: 317-259-5301 ext 45635

Since the November convention and budget meeting in January, the new board and its agenda have really started cooking.

New initiatives and updates to existing programs only look to make the organization stronger. With the other directors-at-large, I have been reaching out to all new members to see what they need from the organization. I have invited all first-time attendees to the San Francisco convention to join me at the advisers luncheon so we can share ideas and get to know each other.

In February I set-up our JEA Remind account as another way to connect with members about deadlines and reminders. We have a small, yet mighty, 69 members using this resource so far. To join, text @jea45 to 81010.

I’m in the process of developing a fun monthly calendar for of things to do in your journalism program. I’m also still working on new ways to add value to our social media presence with Erin Coggins, MJE.

I worked with the board to design a logo for a new member support program. I’m looking forward to assisting Lori Keekley, MJE, with some SPRC and New Voices initiatives.

Finally, I remain committed to helping advisers and their classrooms in any way they need. I’m always happy for someone with a question to reach out to me.


Director-at-large

Michael Malcom-Bjorklund, CJE
River City Science Academy-Innovation
8313 Baycenter Road
Jacksonville, FL 32256
C: 904-382-3876  |  W: 904-647-5110
Contact

I have contacted and welcomed 33 new JEA members by phone and email since November.

Some of my other efforts since my last report have included:

  • Attending the JEA board meetings at the Dallas convention in November.
  • Attending the JEA board budget meeting in Manhattan, Kansas (Jan. 19-21).
  • Attending monthly Google Hangout meetings with JEA Board of Directors.
  • Collaborating with JEA Board to develop a member support program.

Director-at-large

Julia Satterthwaite, CJE
Monta Vista High School
21840 McClellan Road
Cupertino, CA 95014
C: 248-302-4289  |  W: 408-366-7649
Contact

In addition to attending the budget meeting in Manhattan, Kansas Jan. 19-21 and preparing for and participating in the board’s monthly Google Hangout calls to update each other about progress on our goals, I’ve been focusing my efforts on two areas: new member outreach and mentoring.

I’ve been working on helping new members learn how to get the most out of their JEA membership by:

  • Developing a Google Form for the directors at large to log their new member contacts, including: contact person, name, email(s), phone number(s), school, city, state, action taken (emailed, phone call, in-person meeting), new member response, question type(s), additional JEA people looped in and a narrative about the interaction.
  • Logging 115 new member contacts. The highest volume of new member questions so far revolve around curriculum and mentoring, so I’ve been looping in Megan Fromm, MJE, or Patrick Johnson, MJE, when applicable.
  • Starting a quarterly email to new members with a few highlights from the Listserv, including information about the JEA Remind account (to sign up for JEARemind, text @jea45 to 81010), the JEA/NSPA Spring Convention in San Francisco, ordering California 48907 hoodies to support New Voices movements and Advisers Institute registration being open.

I’ve been supporting the mentoring goal by:

  • Meeting with the incredible mentoring committee at the fall convention in Dallas to discuss ways to increase the number of trained mentors as well as the number of mentees our organization serves.
  • Submitting a budget request to attend the mentor training this summer at Advisers Institute in Las Vegas along with mentor chair Patrick Johnson, MJE.
  • Contacting Matthew LaPorte, CJE, about soliciting broadcast students from his school to film portions of the in-person mentor training in Las Vegas for use in the digital mentor training we’re developing.
  • Bouncing ideas off of Patrick Johnson, MJE, about branding opportunities, ways to get more current and retired advisers to complete mentor training, the possibility of developing a mentor application, ways to get more states to buy into the mentor program, connecting the mentor program to other JEA initiatives like curriculum and certification, developing a consistent way to document the mentor program’s success and challenges and more.

I’m excited to continue to develop collaborative opportunities, share resources and advocate for journalism advisers and their students at upcoming events.


Committee Chairs


Awards

Karen Slusher, CJE
Eaglecrest High School
5100 S. Picadilly St
Centennial, CO 80015
W: 720-886-1149  |  H: 303-817-9221
Contact

As we finish the first full year of making a few shifts in awards deadlines (Broadcast Adviser of the Year, Rising Star and Lifetime Achievement), the awards committee is working on evaluating the overall success of that change and the need to rethink communication surrounding nominations. With the change in the JEA website, the committee will also be reviewing that platform to see how we might need to make any adjustments for clarity of awards and consistency of award descriptions. As always, Connie Fulkerson and JEA headquarters staff have been extremely helpful in processing materials, directing communication about deadlines to members and then communicating with recipients.

Since the last report, the following has taken place:

  • The partnership/sponsorship with Ithaca College has completed its three-year commitment. I am working to reestablish this partnership with Ithaca and asking for an increase of funding at $4,000 per year to support the Broadcast Adviser of the Year recognition. Several other university or college programs have been identified as possible support systems for this recognition.
  • In an effort to streamline judging for Broadcast Adviser of the Year and Yearbook Adviser of the year, the chair will be working with multiple parties to ensure a trusted and transparent group of volunteers. This will hopefully include insight from the newest sponsorship and guidance from a couple previous winners of both awards.
  • Chairperson Karen Slusher, former JEA President Jack Kennedy, MJE, professional photographer and publications strategist Casey Cass, Michelle Coro, CJE, and last year’s recipient Nancy Smith, MJE, also ranked yearbook candidates.
  • We again announced the spring awards in a timed series (10 a.m. Central) in the last full week of January. Again, the chair called all recipients a day ahead of the formal announcement of awards. The yearbook companies were all contacted prior to the reveal of the Yearbook Adviser of the Year announcement, and the school and yearbook company for Brenda Field, MJE, were contacted in early January to establish a special reveal. Nancy Smith, MJE, the 2016 Yearbook Adviser of the Year, and Kelly Glasscock, CJE, were able to be present for the announcement at Glenbrook South High School. Connie Fulkerson, CJE, of headquarters continued to coordinate luncheon attendance.
  • The Yearbook Adviser of the Year deadline will remain Oct. 15, but the judging will be done by Nov. 1 to make it possible for the announcement to take place in December. This change is recommended in part to make coordination with yearbook companies and schools easier.
  • We selected our second Future Administrator Scholarship recipient and began to receive more interest in this scholarship opportunity.

Awards Committee members: Martha Akers, Sara-Beth Badalamente, CJE, Brian Baron, MJE, Leslie Dennis, Linda Drake, MJE, Charla Harris, CJE, Thomas Kaup, MJE, Leslie Thompson, CJE, Cindy Todd, Ann Visser, MJE, Carmen Wendt, MJE, Andrew Young, Mitch Ziegler, CJE.

Subcommittee chairs: Candace Perkins Bowen, MJE, Future Teacher Scholarship; John Bowen, MJE, First Amendment Press Freedom Award; Rebecca Pollard, MJE, Journalist of the Year; Kenson Siver, Student Journalist Impact Award.

These are the awards announced since the fall convention, not including those with a March 15 entry deadline:

2017 H.L. Hall Yearbook Adviser of the Year
Brenda Field, MJE, Glenbrook South High School, Glenview, Ill.

Distinguished Yearbook Advisers
Leland Mallett, CJE, Mansfield (Texas) Legacy High School
Allison Staub, CJE, Westfield (Ind.) Middle School
Laura Zhu, CJE, Toby Johnson Middle School

Special Recognition Yearbook Adviser
Rebecca Pollard, MJE, Lovejoy High School, Lucas, Texas

Diversity Award
Erin Castellano, CJE, and The Globe staff, Clayton (Mo.) High School

Lifetime Achievement Award
Jane Blystone, MJE, North East, Pa.
Candace Brandt, Charlotte, N.C.
Gloria “Lori” Eastman, Denver, Colo.
Brenda Gorsuch, MJE, Mills River, N.C.
Trudy Hurd, CJE, Flora, Ill.
Mary Inglis, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Janet Levin, MJE, Wheeling, Ill.
Rodney Lowe, Michigan City, Ind.
Wayna Polk, MJE, Carbon, Texas
Janelle Schultz, CJE, Scottsbluff, Neb.
Vanessa Shelton, Elsberry, Mo.
Cindy Todd, Austin, Texas

Linda S. Puntney Teacher Inspiration Award
Brenda Gorsuch, MJE, Mills River, N.C.

First Amendment Press Freedom Award
The Archer School for Girls, Los Angeles
Chantilly (Virginia) High School
Convent of the Sacred Heart High School, San Francisco
Grosse Pointe North High School, Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan
Kirkwood (Missouri) High School
McLean (Virginia) High School
Mountlake Terrace (Washington) High School
North Central High School, Indianapolis
Reno (Nevada) High School
St. Louis Park (Minnesota) High School
Whitney High School, Rocklin, California

Future Administrator Scholarship
Elise T. Carlson, Oviedo (Florida) High School


Career and Technical Education

Nina Quintana, CJE
Bernalillo High School
148 Spartan Aly
Bernalillo, NM 87004
C: 505-450-7246  |  W: 505-404-5196
Contact

It has been an exciting start of the first year as the chair of the CTE Committee! I have met and started work with some amazing members on CTE initiatives for JEA. After initial introductions, the wealth of knowledge and skill set each individual brings to the table will be invaluable as we continue to work on making a positive impact for the communications pathway for JEA members.

The Certification subcommittee has opted to move forward with offering certifications to students beginning in the fall with the national convention in Chicago. So far, we have price quotes from Precision Exams who can offer certifications in the following: Television Broadcasting (Level I & Level II), Video Production, Digital Photography (Basic), Film Photography, Commercial Photography (Advanced), Commercial & Advertising Art, and Design & Visual Communications. We are still waiting on a price quote from Adobe Certiport who can offer certification with Adobe products such as: Photoshop, InDesign, Premier, and Illustrator. Since the national conventions have already established the pre-convention workshop model, the committee feels that this would be the best time to offer certification opportunities. Areas of focus after the San Francisco convention will include: advertising and the scheduling format for the computer space.  

I will be attending the Business Professionals of America (BPA) National Leadership Convention hosted in Dallas, May 9-12, 2018. During the convention I will be observing how BPA operates their certification testing space to get ideas on how to best organize how this will need to look in order to work efficiently for JEA.

As I am working on CTE initiatives in my home state, New Mexico, it is important to note that the College and Career Readiness Bureau (an entity of the state’s Public Education Department), which oversees the Carl D. Perkins grant, is excited about the opportunity for students to receive certifications. Under the grant, this is one of the factors they consider when establishing an organization as a recognized CTSO. The opportunity to see additional funds going into journalism classrooms is exciting and this is just one step in the right direction to seeing this happen through CTE initiatives as we continue to move forward. Additionally, the CJE/MJE certifications are going to be recognized as approved certifications for journalism educators who want their programs to be considered for CTE in New Mexico.

My overarching goal is to continue to move the needle forward and move additional states in the same direction toward CTE recognition for the communications pathway of study.


Certification

Kim Green, MJE
Ball State University
Department of Journalism
AJ 300
Muncie, IN 47306
W: 765-285-8900  |  C: 812-525-8502

I start my biannual report with a salute to the eight dedicated, hard-working educators on this committee! I appreciate beyond words Candace Bowen, MJE, Jane Blystone, MJE, Brian Hayes, MJE, and Joe Mirando, MJE, our post-secondary education representatives, and Joe Humphrey, MJE, Rod Satterthwaite, MJE, Cathy Wall, MJE, and Liz Walsh, MJE, our secondary education representatives. Their contribution to the success of JEA’s Certification program continues to amaze and inspire me!

  • Although not as busy as the summer and fall exam seasons, we tested two MJE candidates and 14 CJE candidates at three winter sites: Colorado, Jostens and Herff Jones. We are currently putting summer test sites on the calendar, including JEA Advisers Institute and Walsworth’s Adviser Academy in July. Joe Humphrey, MJE, will proctor both sites.
  • We will be testing nine CJE candidates and five MJE candidates Friday afternoon in San Francisco.
  • We will recognize 34 new CJEs, 25 CJE renewals, five new MJEs and 17 MJE renewals in San Francisco at Saturday’s luncheon. A cool fact: We will honor our first group of professionals who qualified under CJE Option C as CJE Renewals, and their Professional Growth Activities reflect a continued commitment to providing their yearbook staffs and advisers with quality instruction and support!
  • Our Certification Committee retreat in Indianapolis in 2019 is included in the new proposed budget. During this long weekend, we will analyze data from both versions of the CJE exam and look at areas for improvement, update our “Get Certified!” slideshows to align with the JEA Curriculum and examine MJE exam updates.
  • As always, I want to acknowledge Pam Boller, our JEA Headquarters Certification partner who supports us, our CJEs and MJEs and our candidates. I could not do this without her!

Contests (Write-offs)

Nancy Y. Smith, MJE
Lafayette High School
17050 Clayton Road
Wildwood, MO 63011
W: 636-733-4118 | C: 314-704-1242
Contact

Contest Committee Membership:

Nancy Y. Smith, MJE, Chair
Priscilla Frost, Asst. Chair
April van Buren, CJE, National Quiz Bowl Coordinator
Erika Quick, CJE, Broadcast Contest Coordinator
Joel Garver, CJE, Broadcast Contest Coordinator
Bradley Wilson, MJE, Photo Contest Coordinator
Mark Murray, Technology
Laura Zhu, CJE, Jr. High/Middle School National Media Contest Coordinator
Allie Staub, Jr. High/Middle School National Media Contest Coordinator

Events:

1) National Journalism Quiz Bowl – April Van Buren, CJE, coordinator

We had 31 teams compete in Dallas (Fall 2017) and 16 teams in Seattle (Spring 2017). The committee has eliminated the pre-qualifier for the contest beginning with Spring 2018 in San Francisco.

2) Jr. High/Middle School Contest – Allie Staub & Laura Zhu, CJE, coordinators

There were 400 entries in Spring 2016 and 330 entries in Spring 2017. We expected the drop as we reduced the number of entries each school was allowed to ensure that we were getting the best work submitted.

This year’s contest timeline is as follows:

Registration opens (Wednesday after Write-offs close) March 21

Materials due (third Wednesday in April @ 7 p.m. ET) April 18

Judging finished/winners announced early May

3) Future Deadlines

Fall 2018 Chicago Nov. 1-4*

Write-off registration opens / Prompts available: Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018

Write-off registration closes/Online submissions due: Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018  7 p.m. ET

Critiques due from judges Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018 midnight

*Schools that do not begin until late August or after need to plan ahead as the Write-off window will be much earlier to accommodate this early convention date.

4) Contest Updates

Before Chicago we will be looking at overall contest numbers and eliminating some contests that have historically low numbers.

5) Contest Numbers

There were 1,581 contestants for the Dallas Fall 2017 Write-offs and 1,382 entries in the Seattle Spring 2017 Write-offs. Our numbers are staying right in the area of between 32-36 percent of the overall convention attendance.

For The Board:

Upgrades to writeoffs.org system

We continue to work on the writeoffs.jea.org system and improve it for easier use for our members. The goal is to roll out a “new & improved” look for Chicago Fall 2018.

Partnering with Scholastic Journalism Week

Adam Dawkins, CJE, and the Contest committee are talking about incorporating the SJW logo/ad contest and Write-offs. We would probably run the contest at the JEA/NSPA fall convention and put the logo/ad kids together in one contest to develop materials for that year’s SJW campaign. He could also still open it up to other folks who are not at the convention, but it would give him many more possible logos.

Impact of New Convention Format

San Francisco will be our test run to see how the new spring convention format impacts the contest committee. The plan is to make sure the majority of the work is completed late Friday night and put together the presentation component on Saturday morning. We will also notify schools that they may pick up their packets Sunday morning as well to perhaps cut down on the number of materials we generally mail out to schools.

Write-off Critique Sheets

We continue to revise the critique sheets/contest standards to mirror the curriculum documents. We are looking for a MJE candidate to work on these and also help compile contest material.


Digital Media

Aaron Manfull, MJE
Francis Howell North High School
2549 Hackman Rd
Saint Charles, MO 63303
W: 636-851-5107
Contact

  • Membership: Aaron Manfull, MJE, Albert Dupont, Alyssa Boehringer, CJE, Amanda Bright, MJE, Beatrice Motamedi, CJE, Chris Slaton, Christina Geabhart, MJE, Dennis Leizear, CJE, Don Goble, Erinn Harris, MJE, Evelyn Lauer, MJE, Jonathan Rogers, MJE, James Streisel, MJE, Jennifer Parsons, Kevin Berns, Kim McCarthy, CJE, Kristy Roschke, MJE, Kyle Phillips, CJE, Matt Rasgorshek, Matthew LaPorte, CJE, Matthew Schott, CJE, Michelle Balmeo, MJE, Michelle Turner, Patrick Johnson, MJE, Sarah Nichols, MJE, Sarah Semmel. For the board: JEADigitalMedia.org has continued to grow and we have continually worked to reassess the most pressing needs of students and advisers. We have been tracking data so we can get a gauge of how we are doing with this. I will only touch on part of it here. Please let me know if you’d like to have any other data and I will make sure to get it to you.I have decided to compare six-month periods of the site (from March 13-Sept. 13 and Sept. 14-March 12) each year that I do this. They are even six-month periods and will allow us to get a semiannual report together in time for each convention.In our nine years of existence, we had more than 1,167 posts published (roughly 3 per week), 632,926 visits, and 1,119,555 pageviews. Eighteen different people contributed posts to the site during the past six months. Members were notified in the fall of 2016 that in order to remain on the committee, they would need to contribute at least one thing to the site during the 12-month period ending Sept. 13. Six committee members are considered contributors for posting at least three times over the past 6 months or because they work with other parts of the site. They are:Contributors:
    • Aaron Manfull, MJE – 37
    • Jonathan Rogers, MJE – 5
    • Michelle Balmeo, MJE – 3
    • Sarah Nichols, MJE – 3
    • Michelle Harmon, MJE – 3
    • Kyle Phillips, CJE – Maintaining maps

    Also contributing to the site during the time period were Travis Armknecht, CJE, Travis Bodell, Christina Geabhart, MJE, Brian Kennedy, Kyle Phillips, CJE, Carrie Rapp, CJE, Kristy Roschke, MJE, Matthew Schott, CJE, Taylor Sheridan, Chris Slaton, Michelle Turner, Jack Weaver and Jerred Zegelis.

    While some of the wording is cut off on the following charts, the graphs move from the least recent 6-month period on top to the most recent 6-month period on the bottom.

    Below are the most clicked posts/pages from the last six months:

    We also have a presence on Twitter and Facebook. With the efforts focused on creating posts and content for the site, those social accounts have not been as socially active as we would like.

    The team is still working to update guides, expand guide offerings and maintain weekly posting schedules.

    As a reminder, Aaron Manfull, MJE, worked to create an advertising structure for JEADigitalMedia.org. Information on advertising on the site can be found here. School Newspapers Online has purchased the main widget area for another year. We also have a rotating ad area within posts and pages where we will work to push to summer journalism workshops and other advertisers as well. We currently have one that has purchased space and others that have inquired.

    We will discuss our goals at our committee meeting in San Francisco, but I have a feeling we will work to continue some of our current areas of focus: 1) Continue to build a deeper broadcast presence on the site as it remains one of our biggest draws 2) Continue to post relevant articles for those wanting help with their online journey 3) Work to publicize the site more on the Listserv and other places to try to counteract some of the visitor trends.

    As always, if there is anything anyone would like to see on the site, please email us at info@jeadigitalmedia.org.

    Here are the links I said I would make available:

    Visitor data for JEADigitalMedia.org

    Guide to Moving Online

    Guide to Video and Broadcast

    Guide to Multimedia Tools

    Guide to Live Video Streaming of Sports Events


Journalist of the Year

Rebecca Pollard, MJE
Lovejoy High School
2350 Estates Parkway
Lucas, TX 75002
W: 469-742-8700 x28633

The 2018 Journalist of the Year contest is underway with 36 state winners. We received entries through March 15 with relatively quick turnaround to the judges, as each state director coordinated the state winner.

The national JOY committee has been set with a panel of 38 judges. They represent a variety of states and experience levels. They have advised in all media (newspaper, newsmagazine, yearbook, broadcast, online and literary magazine). Many are current advisers, but some are retired as well. I am thrilled they are willing to volunteer and grateful for their time and talents.

I have been working through implementing feedback from 2017 judges and candidates listed on our last report. Part of that feedback will show in the second meet-and-greet at the spring convention for 2018 candidates. Advisers, state directors and JOY judges are welcome to attend as well. We have lengthened the time of this event so everyone has longer to network. We found a room arrangement that is more conducive to one-on-one discussion. We are also working on our communication to the applicants since this event is still relatively new. Last year was a starting point for this event, as we scheduled as a regular session. After the session, I immediately started working on how to improve. Kelly Glasscock, CJE, and I met to brainstorm long-term on where this event is headed. More to come, as we celebrate the accomplishments of all the national candidates at the national convention.

After the 2018 contest is complete, I will reach out to national contestants and committee members to seek feedback. I also welcome state director feedback. With the convention timeline changing, recognition for this competition has changed as well. Please make sure you have marked this in your calendar or on the convention app so you don’t miss it.  We will recognize all state winners in San Francisco April 12 at 7 p.m. at the opening ceremony. The 2018 Journalist of the Year will be announced April 14 at 3:30 p.m., which is also the closing ceremony.

Also in San Francisco, the 2017 winner, Meghan Bobrowsky, and I will present a session to get current juniors thinking about their senior year and working toward building their portfolios. She is currently writing a speech for the spring convention opening. I would like to thank Meghan for all her efforts, including traveling to San Francisco to present.

I would also like to thank Connie Fulkerson, CJE, for her constant attention to detail on processing contest entries and fielding JOY-related questions from all members.


Mentoring Program Chair

Patrick R. Johnson, MJE
Antioch Community High School
1133 Main Street
Antioch, Illinois 60002
C: 224-715-0590

Membership:

Patrick R. Johnson, MJE (Chair)
Linda Barrington, MJE
Peggy Gregory, CJE
Sheila Jones, CJE
Gary Lindsay, MJE
Mary Anne McCloud, CJE
Carmen Wendt, MJE

All committee members are also mentors. I will be trained as a mentor at the JEA Adviser Institute this summer.

There are currently 39 active mentors: Bob Bair, MJE, Linda Ballew, MJE, Jane Blystone, MJE, Ron Bonadonna, CJE, Karen Boone, CJE, Candace Brandt, Vicki Brennan, CJE, Wayne Dunn,CJE, Carol Eanes, CJE, Megan Fitzgerald, CJE, Karl Grubaugh, CJE, Ray Hopfer, CJE, Ellen Kersey, Joy Lessard, Kay Locey, CJE, Julie Mancini, CJE, Joy McCaleb, Kim Messadieh, CJE, Susan Newell, MJE, Casey Nichols, CJE, Nancy Olson, CJE, Katherine Patrick, CJE, Mary Patrick, CJE, Carol Smith, Carol Strauss, Steve Unruhe, CJE, Ann Visser, MJE, Steve Wahlfeldt, Dave Wallner, Jo Zimmerman, MJE, Stan Zoller, MJE, and Kathleen Zweibel, CJE.

Events: We will again host our mentor forum at the upcoming San Francisco convention. Mentors will discuss current issues facing mentoring, learn from sessions about technology, time management, mentee relationships and more, and develop strategies to improve mentee communication, mentee recruitment and mentee retention.

Our other core event, mentor training, will take place at JEA Advisers Institute in Las Vegas. New mentors, including JEA Director-at-Large Julia Satterthwaite, CJE, and me, will be trained to mentor new mentees. This will be the last in-person training offered. Training will be transitioned to a digital format beginning in 2019..

Awards and Honors:

  • As of Feb. 15, there are currently 111 mentees.
  • Former mentee, Kate Plows, CJE, was recognized as a Dow Jones Special Recognition adviser.
  • Two of the 12 Lifetime Achievement Award recipients are current mentors.

For the Board: Since the last semiannual report was submitted, the former chair, Bill Flechtner, MJE, resigned from his post in December and JEA President Sarah Nichols, MJE, appointed me to take his place. Since my appointment, I’ve been working with the committee and Director-at-Large Julia Satterthwaite, CJE, on the following projects:

  • Transition — I’m thankful for Linda Barrington’s, MJE, guidance and assistance with my transition to this position. Both Linda and the rest of the committee have been incredibly helpful and supportive of this undertaking.
  • Digital reporting — First semester reports were due Feb. 15. This is the first time the mentors were asked to submit their reports using Google Forms. Mentors also receive a PDF version of their report to submit to their state associations.
  • Database development — I’ve been working diligently to transition much of the current paperwork and files to an electronic database using AirTable. This application allows for all of the information collected to be housed in one place instead of everything being located in a number of different folders and document types housed on Google Drive.
  • Program visibility and growth — The Mentoring Program will be undergoing a rebrand, much like the JEA website and other current programming efforts. This will include an updated brand image, increased visibility at conventions and in more states (only 19 states are currently represented), digital mentoring and more opportunities for both current and retired advisers to become mentors.
  • Mentee badge program — this program will hopefully align with the benchmarks/objectives of the CJE exam. The purpose of developing and implementing this program is to find ways to more effectively measure Mentoring Program and mentee successes, as well as areas of growth and need. The CJE exam will then become the culmination of (or graduation from) the mentoring experience.

Moving Forward: I am hoping to increase state membership with the JEA Mentoring Program. I receive mentor requests consistently and I’m beginning to have to seek distance mentoring because the requests are coming from states without affiliation with the program. I hope that the upcoming growth and changes being implemented with this program will encourage all 50 states to participate.


Scholastic Journalism Week

Adam Dawkins, CJE
Regis Jesuit High School
6400 S Lewiston Way
Aurora, CO 80016
W: 303-269-8000

Scholastic Journalism Week 2018 was a great success.

Using the theme “Student Voice, Student Choice,” senior Crystal Singh of Coral Springs (Florida) Charter School, created a visual identity for JEA’s 2018 Scholastic Journalism Week promotional materials and on social media. Her winning design was revealed Nov. 16, 2017, at the JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Dallas.

This year we took a different approach and coordinated daily themes to increase reach and awareness. Featured schools who applied for our staff spotlight series were honored on the JEA Facebook page in accordance with each day’s theme. We promoted on the @ScholasticJWeek Twitter account and the JEA Instagram account as well.

#PressOn Monday, Feb 19
We use our voices to keep a duty to the truth.

#MakeaDifference Tuesday, Feb 20
We use our voices to be agents of change. Highlighting fearless coverage.

#WorkHappyWednesday, Feb 21
We use our voices to lead. Highlighting our JEA One Book “Work Happy.”

#NewVoices Thursday, Feb 22
We use our voices to support each other. Standing in solidarity with states fighting for student press freedom legislation.

#FirstAmendment Friday, Feb 23
We use our voices to protect the First Amendment.

Teaming up with JEA Press Press Rights Committee, New Voices, and JEA One Book effectively increased participation from schools across the country and audience engagement all week.

Scholastic Journalism Week 2018 was about celebrating and honoring our student journalists from across the country who use their skills, their voices, and their role as a scholastic press to document, ask questions, listen, and work to make a difference every day. We celebrated students who lead and produce professional journalism with a duty to the truth, transparency and student voices. We celebrated states who have student press laws that protect student journalists and their ability to operate as an open forum for student free expression. We supported states who are fighting for student press freedom legislation. We helped a larger audience see and hear the voices of our brilliant, empathetic, tough, hard-working young people. We are proud of them and we know they are making a difference every day.

The week began four days after the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida. We switched things up at the last minute to begin the week honoring the Aerie Yearbook and Eagle Eye NewsMagazine and their advisers and staff. We continued to do so throughout the week, and the hashtag #studentvoice became prominent and so eerily connected to our theme. It was an emotional week for all and a good time to come together as a journalism family to celebrate and honor student voice and the work of scholastic journalists. Here’s what we began and ended with:

In the wake of unspeakable violence, journalism advisers Melissa Falkowski and Sarah Lerner, CJE, and their students are demonstrating what it means for student media to lead and produce professional journalism with a duty to the truth, transparency, and student voices. We stand with the Stoneman Douglas community as they grieve and honor their fallen community members, and we support the student journalists at Stoneman Douglas – and across the country-who use their skills, their voices, and their role as a scholastic press to document, ask questions, listen, and work to make a difference every day.

Huge thanks to Evelyn Lauer, MJE, Lori Keekley, MJE, Sarah Nichols, MJE, and Erin Coggins, MJE, and everyone on the JEA Press Rights Committee for the partnerships.


Professional Outreach

Jonathan Rogers, MJE
Iowa City High School
1900 Morningside Dr.
Iowa City, IA 52245
W: 319-855-2559

This past year, professional outreach has focused on developing our relationship with NCTE based on the following objectives and continuing to work with Flipboard on our JEA -Flipboard Best of High School Journalism magazine as a showcase of what great work student journalists are publishing.  At the NCTE conference and at a recent SXSWEdu conference we have met all the objectives. People are amazed at what student journalists are producing. Interest in media literacy education and bringing more journalism activities into all classrooms is at a very high level. I have also blogged on these topics for JEA Digital Media and MediaShift. Conference sessions were at capacity and I have heard from companies like Adobe that they are interested in growing their connection with scholastic journalism. This is in no doubt due to the rise of student voices surrounding the school safety and shooting epidemic.

NCTE is also working to support the New Voices act by making regional affiliates aware of legislation in their area.  The board and I have also discussed new ways to drive membership at NCTE and grow our relationship with NCTE over the next year. Building upon what was accomplished in 2017 and continuing to grow JEA through relationships with NCTE, Adobe, media literacy companies will be my main focus. At conferences, we will plan on sharing the important message of scholastic journalism through media literacy presentations, while building the JEA membership and mentoring program.  

At-large Objectives:

  • Continue to develop and use the JEA-Flipboard Magazine/Contest to showcase scholastic journalism
  • Continue to work with media literacy companies to include JEA in the trending media literacy discussions
  • Work with publishing companies like Adobe to help the JEA community
  • Have a Bloggers Cafe showcasing JEA-Flipboard Magazine Contest award winners
  • Share mentoring opportunities

NCTE Objectives:

  • Utilize​ ​the​ ​JEA​ ​booth​ ​to​ ​reach​ ​current​ ​and​ ​former​ ​members.
  • Present​ ​sessions​ ​geared​ ​toward​ ​journalism​ ​teachers.
  • Promote​ ​JEA​ ​One​ ​Book​ ​and​ ​reach​ ​membership​ ​with​ ​a​ ​book​ ​signing.
  • Represent​ ​JEA​ ​at​ ​the​ ​censorship​ ​committee​ ​meeting.
  • Represent​ ​JEA​ ​at​ ​the​ ​NCTE​ ​business​ ​meeting.
  • Represent​ ​JEA​ ​at​ ​the​ ​affiliates​ ​breakfast.
  • Report​ ​back​ ​ideas​ ​that​ ​NCTE​ ​is​ ​using​ ​to​ ​possibly​ ​be​ ​used​ ​by​ ​JEA.

NCTE Summary:

During​ ​the​ ​NCTE​ ​conference,​ ​all​ ​objectives​ ​were​ ​met​ ​by​ ​the​ ​JEA​ ​team.​ ​​ ​I​ ​want​ ​to​ ​thank​ ​Don Goble,​ ​Evelyn​ ​Lauer,​ MJE, ​and​ ​Julie​ ​Smith​ ​for​ ​helping​ ​make​ ​the​ ​conference​ ​a​ ​success.​ ​​​The​ ​booth was​ ​active​ ​with​ ​current​ ​and​ ​former​ ​members​ ​getting​ ​information,​ ​talking​ ​with​ ​all​ ​of​ ​us,​ ​signing books,​ ​and​ ​reconnecting​ ​with​ ​long​ ​time​ ​members.​ ​​This​ ​year​ ​we​​ ​add​ed​ ​a television​ ​to​ ​showcase​ ​JEA​ ​Curriculum​ ​and​ ​the​ ​JEA​ ​websites.​ ​​ ​We​ ​also​ ​added​ ​a​ ​book​ ​signing that​ ​connected​ ​to​ ​our​ ​sessions​ ​and​ ​the​ ​JEA​ ​One​ ​Book​ ​program.​ ​​Having​ ​the​ ​sessions,​ ​signing and​ ​JEA​ ​One​ ​Book​ ​all​ ​connected​ ​was​ ​a​ ​great​ ​success​ ​in​ ​my​ ​opinion.​ ​​Several​ ​conference​ ​goers told​ ​me​ ​that​ ​the​ ​media​ ​lit​ ​session​ ​was​ ​their​ ​favorite​ ​and​ ​most​ ​useful​ ​session​ ​of​ ​the​ ​conference. Seeking​ ​truth​ ​and​ ​creating​ ​truth​ ​seekers​ ​is​ ​a​ ​movement​ ​that​ ​I​ ​think​​ ​JEA​ ​should​ ​continue​ ​to embrace.​ ​​ ​We should also​ ​continue​ ​to​ ​seek​ ​out​ ​partnerships​ ​with​ ​the​ ​News​ ​Literacy​ ​Institute, Checkology​ ​and​ ​Newseum​ ​to​ ​continue​ ​the​ ​media​ ​literacy​ ​and​ ​truth​ ​seeking​ ​push.

At​ ​the​ ​booth​ ​we​ ​also​ ​connected​ ​with​ ​Write​ ​the​ ​World​ ​who​ ​attended​ ​the​ ​JEA​ ​convention​ ​for​ ​the first​ ​time​ ​last​ ​spring​ ​and​ ​plans​ ​to​ ​again.​ ​​They​ ​are​ ​also​ ​interested​ ​in​ ​running​ ​competitions together.

The​ ​censorship​ ​committee​ ​was​ ​very​ ​excited​ ​to​ ​work​​ ​with​ ​us​ ​on​ ​running​ ​the​ ​First Amendment​ ​session​ ​that​ ​two​ ​students​ ​from​ ​the​ ​Kirkwood​ ​Call​ ​came​ ​to​ ​present​ ​at​ ​the conference.​​​ ​They​ ​also​ ​are​ ​very​ ​interested​ ​in​ ​continuing​ ​to​ ​spread​ ​the​ ​word​ ​and​ ​mobilize support​ ​for​ ​the​ ​New​ ​Voices​ ​legislation​ ​that​ ​is​ ​still​ ​working​ ​through​ ​many​ ​states.


Publications/Public Relations

Evelyn Lauer, MJE
Niles West High School
5701 W Oakton St.
Skokie, IL 60077
W: 847-626-2592

Since my last report as the Publications/Public Relations chair, I have worked on the following initiatives and projects:

One Book: The spring JEA One Book is “Work Happy: What Great Bosses Know” by Jill Geisler. Geisler joined us for a Twitter chat on March 7, which I moderated. Advisers and students also shared their favorite takeaways from the book on Twitter during #WorkHappyWednesday during Scholastic Journalism Week. Geisler retweeted some of these tweets. Advisers have also been sharing takeaways in the One Book Facebook Group. I will continue to gather highlights from students and teachers as we head into our convention in San Francisco. I will be presenting a session on student leadership, “‘Work Happy’: Become a better editor” at JEA/NSPA at 9 a.m. April 14 in Sierra F.

Public Relations:

  • I am currently overseeing a partnership with Write the World, a writing and publishing platform for young people across the globe. We are co-hosting an op-ed writing competition, which opened March 5. More detailed information can be found here. I have been coordinating all publicity on social media, the listserv and website for this project and working closely with representatives from Write the World.  I also worked with Meg Fromm, MJE, to create JEA’s Guide to Op-Ed, which is posted on Write the World’s website and is tied to the JEA writing curriculum.
  • I attended the NCTE convention in St. Louis and helped professional outreach chair, Jon Rogers, MJE, run the JEA booth.
  • I secured 25 judges for the SPJ/JEA writing contest.
  • I oversaw the Scholastic Journalism chair, Adam Dawkins, CJE, during Scholastic Journalism Week, Feb. 18-24.  
  • I have been invited to attend the Nonfiction Writers Conference, May 2-4, 2018, which is virtual. I attended last year, and a few of our members also attended via a discount code, which we will also be offering this year. More information to come.

Publications:

I continue to work with a team of writers: Rebekah Goode, CJE, Patrick Johnson, MJE, and John Walter, CJE. These writers are currently working on pitches/ideas. Members who are interested in joining this team of writers are encouraged to email me at evelau@d219.org.


Editor, Communication: Journalism Education Today

Bradley Wilson, MJE
Midwestern State University
3410 Taft Blvd.
Wichita Falls, TX 76308-2099
H: 919-264-6768  |  W: 940-397-4797
Contact

In the magazine’s 51st year, we pushed to continue to stay on the forefront of the scholastic journalism education profession, discussing social media, broadcast media, online media, magazines, newspapers and yearbooks, grading and leadership and the plethora of other topics of interest to the nearly 2,600 advisers who are members of JEA.

Topics such as #fakenews and copyright topped public perception and problems with the media and also topped C:JET coverage.

This spring, we concluded a series of stories written by attendees at the JEA Advisers Institute last summer. While I intended to continue this into the summer issue, I didn’t have enough quality copy and should have spaced the stories out better. This was productive on several levels. First, it took the knowledge conveyed at the Advisers Institute out to a broader audience. Second, it allowed advisers experience actually producing story packages, working with a team of editors.

We made no progress in adding a portion of the JEA.org website specifically for C:JET as we’ve been trying to do for years now.

Spring 2018, Volume 51, Number 3

40 pages

Dealing with Fake News in the classroom

“Fake news” has acquired a certain legitimacy after being named word of the year by Collins, following what the dictionary called its “ubiquitous presence” over the last 12 months. Now it has become a challenge for instructors of mass media to deal with “fake news” in the classroom. | By Alison Burns

Students and consumers can learn how to differentiate real news from fake news and clickbait. | By Stephanie Willen Brown

Creative Commons

Copyright is simple: If the publication did not create it, editors need written permission to use it. But Creative Commons licenses give creators a way to give permission in advance. | By Bradley Wilson, MJE

CS Press

Cactus Shadows High School (Cave Creek, Arizona) | Newsroom structured like a real newsroom.

Word of the year

The Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year reflects national discussion — youthquake.

Color of the year

Pantone’s Color of the Year — Ultra Violet.

Eye of the Tiger

Roseville High School (California) | Student leadership key to publication’s success.

Writing with emotion

Erin Coggins, MJE, discusses how to bring more emotion into student writing. | By Christy Briggs, MJE

Ernie Pyle’s lessons

Erin Coggins, MJE, gives nine tips on improving student writing. | By Christy Briggs, MJE

Grading

Nancy Hastings, MJE, teaches a session on creating a balance when grading. | By Kathy Jackson

Inspiration

Teacher Inspiration Award winner shares her passion for education. | By Nancy Hastings, MJE

Summer 2018, Volume 51, Number 4

44 pages

Happy 100th: The anniversary yearbook

Whether it is a fifth anniversary or an 100th anniversary, anniversary books offer unique opportunities for the staff of the yearbook. But the celebration needs to go beyond the cliché while being integrated into the coverage and design.  | By Laurie Hansen, MJE

Stylebook updates

Every year, the Associated Press issues updates to the Stylebook. Some are trivial. Some reflect a change in culture or a new trend. | By Bradley Wilson, MJE

Start looking now

You never know who might turn out to be the next President of the United States. Start telling the stories of those people who have the potential now. | By Bobby Hawthorne

Keep an archive of digital files so that years from now, you can find pictures you took decades ago of people who are now in the news. | By Bradley Wilson, MJE

Deliberation

The North Carolina Scholastic Media Association with the Kettering Foundation’s National Issues Forum Institute is providing training on how to bring non-partisan deliberation to the classroom. | By Monica Hill, MJE, with Jerry Brown, Bryan Christopher, David Jackson, Waverly Lynch, Lynn Peterson, Makenzie Violette, Trey Wilson

Set design

The JEA Broadcast Adviser of the Year shows how a corner of the classroom is a great place to build a new broadcast set. | By Brian Kennedy

Knight Errant

Benilde St. Margaret’s School (St. Louis Park, Minnesota) | Online presence never ending. Kari Koshiol, adviser, with contributions from Abby Letscher, editor, and Anna Overbo, video journalism adviser

STAFF

Bradley Wilson, MJE, editor

Howard Spanogle, assistant editor

Connie Fulkerson, CJE, copy editor

Pam Boller, advertising manager

ADVISORY BOARD

Ellen Austin, MJE, director of journalism, The Harker School (San Jose, California)

Tyler Dukes, public affairs reporter, WRAL (Raleigh, North Carolina)

Scott Winter, associate professor, Bethel University (St. Paul, Minnesota)

Kyle Ellis, senior product manager, American City Business Journals (Charlotte, North Carolina)

Amy DeVault, MJE, assistant professor, Wichita State University (Wichita, Kansas)

INCOME:

Advertising goal: $16,000

Advertising owed: $15,939.75

Advertising paid: $15,883.50

Advertising still due: $175.00

EXPENSES:

Printing: $16,445.59 (does not include summer issue) (about $5,500/issue)

Stipends: $10,000

Supplies: 207.77

Travel: $2284.83


Editor, Social Media

Erin Coggins, MJE
Sparkman High School
2616 Jeff Road
Harvest, AL 35749
W: 256-837-0331  |  H: 256-895-6490

I am getting more and more comfortable in my role as Social Media Editor. With it still being my first year, I am continuing to learn more about the organization. I am thoroughly enjoying my role, and must admit that I am becoming a better adviser and JEA member through my work as Social Media Editor. I am now cognizant of all social media I scan, looking for articles of interest or better graphics to use on the organization’s social media platforms.

  • I worked successfully with Adam Dawkins, CJE, on the promotion of Scholastic Journalism Week.
  • I am currently working with Rebecca Pollard, MJE, on announcing Journalist of the Year winners on Instagram and Twitter.
  • I promoted the spring convention, Write-offs and other deadlines relating to the conference.
  • When board news, photographs or new state directors were announced and information was relayed to me, I promptly posted.
  • I created a social media calendar to help me stay on track with postings and graphic content.
  • It is still on my calendar to work with Tom Gayda, MJE, on a “JEA Daily” series for social media.
  • I will continue to reach out to state directors for the “When I’m Not Teaching” series, especially since we have new state directors.
  • I did on-the-spot Instagram posts at the Dallas convention. I felt these worked well and I was impressed with the response of the students. I will continue these at the San Francisco convention.
  • I have created a hashtag catalog to help me remember to include these in my Twitter posts.

I plan to continue to find the perfect format for Instagram. I am always open to advice and suggestions as I try to make this position my own.


State Directors


Alabama

Susan Newell, MJE, NBCT
1150 Valley Forge Road
Tuscaloosa, AL 35406
C: 205-454-9394
Contact

Membership: Alabama has 25 JEA memberships. JEA membership is encouraged at Alabama Scholastic Press Association (ASPA) workshops and conferences, at Troy University’s J Day, in emails, on Facebook and by word of mouth. JEA membership has tremendous benefits. When I began advising over 30 years ago, I became active in ASPA, then JEA, NSPA, SIPA and CSPA. Almost everything I learned about advising school newspapers and yearbooks came from attending scholastic press events. As we learn, we are then given opportunities by these associations to help educate young advisers and their students. Advisers, become active in your state (ASPA), regional (SIPA) and national organizations (JEA, NSPA & CSPA). In this way students can best be prepared for college and the world of work, and your school can publish quality publications.

Happenings:

  • Alabama Scholastic Press Association (ASPA) and the Southern Interscholastic Press Association (SIPA) coordinate their conferences.
  • Information about SIPA events can be found here. The SIPA convention is in early March each year.
  • ASPA web site is here. Members are encouraged to follow ASPA on Facebook and Twitter.

Upcoming ASPA events:

  • April 1 Deadline for Multicultural Journalism Workshop (This deadline is the same every year.)
  • June 8-16 The University of Alabama’s annual Multicultural Journalism Workshop.
  • June 8-10 The Long Weekend summer camp on the University of Alabama campus.
  • ASPA Fall Regional Workshops are in September.
  • Sept. 24 Mobile ASPA workshop
  • Sept. 26 Tuscaloosa ASPA workshop, Bryant Conference Center, The University of Alabama campus
  • Sept. 28 Huntsville ASPA workshop
  • Dec. 16 ASPA Critique deadlines
  • Jan. 18, 2019 ASPA State Convention, Ferguson Student Center, The University of Alabama campus
  • Feb. 7, 2020 ASPA State Convention, Ferguson Student Center, The University of Alabama campus
  • ASPA’s state convention 2018 was the biggest to date with almost 400 in attendance.
  • Troy University holds J-Day each fall. Almost 500 high school students from 27 schools attended Sept. 14, 2017, one of the largest J-Day’s ever.

Awards and honors:

  • Alabama’s Journalist of the Year award went to Audrey Harper from Bob Jones High School. Audrey also won the Baily Thompson Award for Editorial Writing.
  • A new ASPA student award was begun this year by Alex House, a former high school journalist from Northridge High School who attended ASPA, JEA, and SIPA events. The Journalism Sustainability Award, as it was called, was awarded to Bryant High School student Destiny Hodges, a senior, who was forced by her school system to go to a school without a journalism program. Destiny recruited students, fund-raised and lobbied the school system to provide resources to begin a newspaper program at Bryant. Destiny was also awarded the $2,500 J.B. Stevenson Scholarship.
  • Rebecca Han from Northridge High School won the Rick Bragg Feature Award.
  • The Alabama Broadcast Association presented Constance McKnight from Thompson High School with the High School Broadcast Journalist of the Year.
  • The Susie Dement Adviser of the Year Award went to Connie Nolan at Pelham High School.
  • All ASPA convention awards in PowerPoint form are listed on Facebook this year.

Arizona

Carmen Wendt, MJE
6634 E. 4th St.
Scottsdale, AZ 85251

Membership: The membership in Arizona has been slowly growing. This probably can be credited to the JEA convention locations and to the growth of the mentor program working with new advisers.

Events: The Spring Reception will be again at the Spaghetti Factory in Phoenix. All member advisers are invited to celebrate the year’s achievements. The winners of the Forest R. Martin Memorial Award for Excellence in Journalism (experienced adviser) and the Freeman Hover Award for Excellence in Journalism (advisers with less than five years) will be recognized.

The NewsTrain, a two-day workshop of writing and digital training will be at the Walter Cronkite School in April.

The state’s Summer Workshop will be in July again at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University’s downtown Campus. This is a commuter workshop.

The state’s Fall Convention is Oct. 6 at Arizona State University’s main campus. June 15 is the deadline for schools to enter the contests.

Recognition: I would personally like to welcome Christine Brandell Melendez as Arizona’s new JEA State Director. She has been very active in Arizona’s scholastic journalism and with JEA and will be a terrific addition to the JEA State Director team. It has been a great joy for me to have worked with so many wonderful advisers in JEA and in Arizona. Thank you for the experience. Congratulations to you, Christine!

Arizona Interscholastic Press Association (AIPA) www.azaipa.org


Arkansas

Stephanie Emerson, MJE
PO Box 3
Wynne, AR 72396
C: 870-588-2094

Membership: ASPA continues to work to increase membership. We continue to encourage our members to enroll in JEA when they join the state organization. Several JEA members continue to be active at the national level.  There are approximately 82 members advising 111 publications in our state AJAA organization; 57 of those are in JEA. An additional 12 members are still active but are retired, working for publishing companies, or working in other areas of journalism. We have 10 CJEs and 5 MJEs.

The Arkansas Scholastic Press Association is housed on the campus of Pulaski Tech in North Little Rock under the direction of Allen Loibner-Waitkus, MJE, of Pulaski Tech.

Our e-mail address: arkansasscholasticpress@gmail.com

Our website is here.

The ASPA app is available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play, so no matter what type of smartphone you have, you can stay up-to-date on all things ASPA. In fact, you may want to have your students download it now. It will be an important tool for everyone attending convention and even those who aren’t. Search “Arkansas Scholastic Press” in the Apple App Store or on Google Play.

Happenings: The 2018 State Convention will be held in Fort Smith, Arkansas, April 19-20, at the Fort Smith City Center adjacent to the DoubleTree by Hilton at the Fort Smith City Center.


California

Danielle Ryan, MJE
Carlsbad High School
3557 Lancer Way
Carlsbad, CA 92008
H: 858-349-3451
Contact

Membership: California currently has 264 members which is an increase of 22 members since the fall. There are two major regional branches: JEANC (Northern California) and SCJEA (Southern California). Orange County, San Diego County and the Inland Empire have smaller sub groups for the SCJEA regional branch.

Events:

JOY: Eleven advisers judged 12 Journalist of the Year portfolios in two rounds. A winner was named for both Southern California and Northern California. These two winners went head to head to compete for the state title and the opportunity to continue on to the national competition. Olivia Olander from San Dieguito Academy was named as the SoCal JOY and Sierra Fang-Horvath from Acalanes High School was named the NorCal JOY. Fang-Horvath won the State competition and will represent California in the national JOY competition.

Certification Testing: California will have three advisers taking the CJE test and two advisers taking the MJE test in San Francisco and six advisers are registered for certification testing May 6 in Palo Alto, administered by Sarah Nichols, MJE..

SCJEA:

JEA/NSPA Spring Convention 2019 SCJEA local convention team had its first official meeting with the national coordinators at the beginning of March at the Anaheim Hilton. Lacey Hatfield is the local chair, and the committee has already solidified a theme and logo as well as assigned tasks to all committee members.

Southern California Write-offs Write-offs were held across Southern California through the beginning of March to qualify students to attend the competition for all of Southern California. The Inland Empire chapter held their first Write-off event at CSU Pomona.  Rancho Dominguez Prep hosted the So Cal Finals March 17 for 306 students and their advisers from 28 schools.

California All Stars Competition SCJEA members from 17 schools across Southern California submitted their students’ best work to the All Star competition. SCJEA offers a range of categories from news to yearbook to photography to broadcast.

New Officers SCJEA elected a new board at the March 17 Write-off competition.

JEANC:

New Officers JEANC elected a new board of officers at their annual meeting, and Brian Wilson from Palo Alto High School will be leading the board as president.

Annual Contest JEANC is currently accepting entries for their publication contest that recognizes excellence in over 50 publication categories.  The deadline for submission is April 1.

Hazelwood Day of Action Joining with the SPLC, students and advisers in Northern California posted on Twitter using #CureHazelwood. Publications used the day to express their thoughts on the Hazelwood decision and share some of their work that is protected under California Education Code 48907.

Supporting SPLC The San Francisco convention team created a hoodie specifically for California advisers to demonstrate their support of free press and CA Education Code 48907, which protects student journalists in California.  Proceeds from the hoodies go to help support the SPLC.

CA State Supt. Candidate Interview Project Students applied to cover the five candidates for State Superintendent of Education. The project is an ongoing journalism activity that will continue until the election in November and will work to represent all candidates through content curated on the JEANC website.

Awards and honors:

First Amendment Press Freedom Awards: Three schools from California have earned the 2018 First Amendment Press Freedom Award: The Archer School for Girls, Los Angeles; Convent of the Sacred Heart High School, San Francisco; and Whitney High School, Rocklin, California.

Pacemaker Awards 22 California schools are Pacemaker finalists for the awards that will be presented in San Francisco: 11 schools are Online Pacemaker finalists, one school is a Magazine finalist and 10 schools are Yearbook finalists.


Colorado

Kristi Rathbun, CJE
Rock Canyon High School
5810 McArthur Ranch Road
Highlands Ranch, CO 80124
W: 303-387-3000

Membership: Colorado has 85 current members of JEA. Membership often increases in the spring as our individual contest deadlines are coming up in April and publication critiques deadlines are in June.

Events: CSMA has continued opportunities for students and advisers so far this spring, beginning with the advisers Winter Thaw conference at the University of Colorado in Boulder Jan. 25 featuring Kathy Daly presenting about photography.

Also in February, students participated in the 36th Colorado Student Media Association’s Capitol Hill Press Conference. Speakers included Megan Schrader, editorial writing for The Denver Post, Colorado Commissioner of Education Dr. Katy Anthes and Colorado House representatives Barbara McLachlan (D) District 59 and James Wilson (R) District 60. Journalists were able to ask questions of each speaker and then participate in various writing, video and photojournalism contests. (Winners were announced in March.) With the legislature in session, students had access to lobbyists and representatives as well as opportunities to tour the capitol building itself.

April 5 will see the return of the Southern Colorado (SoCo) Media day on the CSU-Pueblo campus.

Initiatives/Vision/Concerns: CSMA has a number of initiatives they continue to address for membership, including helping advisers apply for and earn CTE certifications. Additionally, the CSMA board is planning to address its core values for the organization in upcoming meetings.

Contests/Awards: JEA Lifetime Achievement Award – Dr. Gloria ‘Lori’ Eastman will receive this honor in San Francisco.

Winners from CSMA’s Winter One Day contest Feb. 9 will be announced in March.

Colorado’s student journalist of the year (Dorothy Greer Scholarship) is Lauren Irwin from Mountain Vista High School in Highlands Ranch, CO (adviser Mark Newton, MJE). Irwin will receive $2000 toward tuition and expenses to attend a Colorado University. Runner-up winner is William Satler from Brighton High School in Brighton, CO (adviser Justin Daigle, CJE). He will receive $1000.

Individual student media contests – the CSMA Best of Colorado awards – are due April 10. Featuring $250 cash prizes for both the individual winners and their school student media programs, Designer, Photographer, Middle School/Junior High Journalist, Broadcast Journalist and Reporter of the year contest deadlines are April 20 (extended to accommodate the JEA/NSPA convention dates).


Delaware

Dennis Leizear, CJE
Padua Academy
905 N. Broom St.
Wilmington, DE 19806
W: 302-421-3739

Membership:  Delaware currently has two members. I continue to reach out to schools to help increase membership, but few schools have journalism programs.

In January we’re holding a Convergence Media Day at Padua Academy for girls in grades 5-8 to help increase awareness of our program.


District of Columbia

Clare Berke
Benjamin Banneker Academic High School
800 Euclid St. NW
Washington, DC 20001
W: 202-671-6320  |  C: 303-709-8304
Contact

There are no updates from D.C.


Florida

Renee Burke, MJE
William R. Boone High School
1000 E. Kaley St.
Orlando, FL 32806
Contact

Membership: We currently have 127 members. We have promoted membership through email blasts, at our state convention, summer and regional workshops.

Events:

FSPA will once again offer the JEA Certification exams at our state convention April 12-14, 2018 at the Wyndham Resort in Orlando.

Awards/Honors:

At the spring convention, FSPA will name its 2018 Morty Schaap Journalism Teacher of the Year. The finalists are (in alphabetical order):

Larry Knight, Stanton College Preparatory School, Jacksonville, FL
Devin Marsh, Arthur and Polly Mays Conservatory of the Arts, Miami, FL
Kevin Patterson, Oviedo High School, Oviedo, FL
Sean Phillips, Howard W. Blake School of the Arts, Tampa, FL
Alfredo Pichardo, Cooper City High, Cooper City, FL
Jennifer Watson, CJE, Navarre High School, Navarre, FL

We announced our state Journalist of the Year winners Feb. 28. The first place winner will advance to the JEA National competition.

First: Jack Rummler – Boone High School
Second: Casey Chapter – Cooper City High School
Third: Michaela Barney – Fivay High School

This FSPA spring digital contests received 2,572 entries – a record number. The Best of the Best finalists have been announced. Winners will be announced at the state convention.

We’re excited to announce that we’ve named our state convention scholarship after longtime DeSoto County High School adviser Jill Maassen in recognition of her outstanding service to the organization.

Click here for a complete list of Florida CSPA Crown and NSPA Pacemaker Finalists.

For the board: I know the journalism advisers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas are very appreciative of the outpouring of love and support. Melissa Falkowski (Eagle Eye newspaper adviser), Sarah Lerner, CJE, (Aerie yearbook adviser) and Eric Gardner (WMSD broadcast adviser) along with their students have shown the power of the media and using their voices to incite change.

If you and/or your staffs would like to contribute to the journalism GoFundMe page, please click here.

You are also welcome to send cards:

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Attn: (see above)
5901 Pine Island Rd.
Parkland, FL 33076


Georgia

Karen Collier, CJE
Veterans High School
340 Piney Grove Rd
Kathleen, GA 31047
W: 478-218-7537  |  C: 478-335-5476
Contact

Membership: Georgia has 52 active members. I communicate with them monthly via email.

Events: Georgia is preparing to implement new journalism performance standards.  Standards were written in the fall, and are now (March 2018) being reviewed by professional journalists and journalism educators before they are posted for review by the public.

Georgia Scholastic Press Association awards ceremony and workshop is planned for April 17 at the University of Georgia in Athens.

Awards and honors: Several schools have received multiple awards this year. Click here for a full list.

For the board: n/a


Hawaii

Jenny Howe
President Theodore Roosevelt High School
1120 Nehoa St.
Honolulu, HI 96822
USA
W: 808-307-0515  |  C: 808-489-4425

Membership: Hawaii has 8 members. I continue to network with advisers to increase membership.

Events: The Hawaii Scholastic Journalism Association (HSJA) continues to meet regularly, along with state JEA members, to discuss the benefits of scholastic journalism, how to improve statewide events for our students, education board policies that affect our students’ work and New Voices legislation in Hawaii. This year we shared the drafted Hawaii New Voices bill with a representative’s office staff, but nothing happened afterwards. Most recently we met with a former employee for the Hawaii State’s Education Office of Strategy, Performance, and Innovation to learn how to recommend changes to an existing board policy that addresses school-sponsored media. The group hopes to propose changes at an upcoming board meeting. We continue to contact interested stakeholders to gain support for next year’s legislation cycle. Additionally, one HSJA + JEA social occurred this past fall to acquaint members. So far advisers have not indicated that they will attend the JEA/NSPA convention in San Francisco. Current HSJA and JEA members have begun planning the fall Journalism Day held at the University of Hawaii.

Awards and honors: The 2018 Hawaii High School Journalism Awards Ceremony will take place April 18. Students across the state from public and private schools compete in writing, photography, design, online, and other related categories. I plan to represent JEA at the upcoming banquet with an announcement about the benefits and importance of our organization and its initiatives.

For the board: We are interested in expanding the JEA Mentoring program here in Hawaii. I have names of possible mentors and mentees in Hawaii to share with Patrick R. Johnson, MJE.


Idaho

Michelle Harmon, MJE
Retired from:
Borah High School
6001 W. Cassia St.
Boise, ID 83709
C: 208-371-4431

Membership: Membership is a steady 20-25 in Idaho. With the annual state conference, we’ve been able to attract new membership, but attrition is an issue.  Many who retire do not remain members. I wonder if this is an area where JEA in general & JEA Idaho specifically could do a better job? Updates of new membership dues went smoothly.

Events:

  • At least two Idaho teachers are attending the JEA Advisers Institute in Las Vegas this summer.
  • NAMLE (National Association of Media Literacy Education) is holding a regional event in Boise at Boise State University, and approached me for JEA partnership.
    • Here’s the event information.
    • Here are the key questions.
    • At least three members from Idaho JEA are helping judge SPJ/JEA essays.
  • Planning of Idaho’s annual state conference in October is underway:
    • Southeast Idaho teachers are planning it and providing a different location. We’ve had it in Boise for five years straight.
    • If this is successful, we might alternate the state conference between Boise and SE Idaho every other year.
    • University of Idaho’s $5,000 sponsorship/partnership was put into question when the new committee set a goal to include other universities.  I’m trying to prioritize the committee’s direction in order to maintain University of Idaho’s support. So far, we’ve reached an amicable agreement. Rebecca Tallent is amazingly generous, and is very active with SPJ, so the partnership is invaluable.
  • Youth Journalism International reached out to me to judge its annual contest. I agreed, and the judge’s bio I wrote for them includes my JEA affiliation. Here’s the link to judges for the contest (I’m listed in alphabetical order).
  • I emailed membership about the JEA/NSPA Partner Project, and I also shared it personally with an adviser I know who would benefit by applying.
  • The local Boise PBS station reached out to me for its PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs (SRL) to see if any rural Idaho advisers are interested in connecting their students to the PBS network of over 130 schools around the country. There is not a school affiliation in Idaho yet. I emailed the information to our membership, and I also called one adviser personally to encourage her to apply. I checked with my local contact about this, and she said that the school I nudged is a perfect fit. Cross your fingers!  
  • I advertised the SPJ/JEA professional speaker partnership with Idaho members.

Awards and honors:

  • McCalee Cain from Sandpoint, Idaho is the state Student Journalist of the Year.  Her adviser is Will Love.

Andrew Reed presented and wrote an article about the 10/26/17 annual state journalism conference in Idaho.


Illinois

Brenda Field, MJE
Glenbrook South High School
4000 W. Lake Ave.
Glenview, IL 60026
W: 847-486-4509
Contact

MEMBERSHIP: Illinois current membership is 150.

EVENTS: Eastern Illinois University will host the IHSA Journalism State Tournament April 27. IJEA, the Illinois JEA affiliate, has a website that can be found at www.ijea.net. IJEA also has an active social media presence on Facebook (Illinois Journalism Education Association) and Twitter (@IllinoisJEA).

INITIATIVES: Since the last report, we have been:

  • Continuing to educate stakeholders about their rights and responsibilities under our New Voices law and making sure students and advisers feel supported when challenges arise. IJEA recently developed a free curriculum for advisers so they can teach press law with the 2016 Speech Rights of Journalists Act in mind. It is available for download from the IJEA website.
  • Enhancing membership by attracting new members, especially by informing them about the JEA curriculum, and by ensuring that IJEA members are also JEA members.
  • Continuing work on the Chicago 2018 JEA/NSPA convention.
  • Promoting student and adviser success as reflected in awards and honors from JEA and other organizations.

AWARDS: Natalie White, Downers Grove North High School, is the Illinois Journalist of the year. Her adviser is Elizabeth Levin, MJE. The runner-up is Maria Thames of Libertyville High School (adviser Michael Gluskin). One Illinois yearbook and one Illinois online newspaper are Pacemaker finalists for 2018. Pacemakers will be presented at the spring convention in San Francisco.


Indiana

Nancy Hastings, MJE
9234 Prairie Ave.
Highland, IN 46322-2339
H: 219-838-6743
Contact

Membership: Membership is up three from last fall, with 80 current members.

Happenings: Indiana’s New Voices bill to protect middle and high school students died in the House Feb. 5 after it fell short of the 51 votes needed for passage to the Senate.

The vote was 47-45 in favor of House Bill 1016, authored by Rep. Ed Clere, R-New Albany and Ed Delaney, D-Indianapolis, but failed because it didn’t get the required 51 votes needed for passage. Clere said that more than a dozen other states provide protections for student journalists, and the bill would also extend safeguards to teachers and administrators.

The bill received broad support from students, school officials, the state’s public colleges and universities. But it ran into fierce opposition from school officials, including the associations representing principals and superintendents.

Opponents referenced “fake news” and unflattering stories. Rep. Wendy McNamara, R-Evansville, said the bill would jeopardize student safety, adding that the bill lacks a basic understanding of the dynamics of a school environment. “There are reasons we do not extend full constitutional rights to children. They lack the basic brain development that they need,” she said.

Disappointed, but not defeated, state journalism leaders, working with Indiana High School Press Association Executive Director Ryan Gunterman and former Executive Director Diana Hadley, plan to try again next year.

Gunterman said that they are working with Department of Education to revise the academic standards so schools can count the journalism introduction course as a regular English credit on one diploma track, rather than the elective that it is now. The hope is that once the standards are passed, the leaders will use that as the basis for gaining New Voices support.

Events: The Indiana High School Press Association held its annual First Amendment Symposium at the Indiana Statehouse March 7, celebrating the state’s best in scholastic and professional journalism. The event emphasized journalism’s continued value in society with featured presentations from IHSPA Student Board members and Indianapolis Star Investigative Reporter Marisa Kwiatowski, who broke the Olympic gymnastics abuse story. Highlighting the symposium, Andrew Tapp, Southport High School senior, won accolades as Indiana’s 2018 Student Journalist of the Year. He serves as editor-in-chief of the Journal newspaper and is advised by Michael Klopfenstein.

Finalists for the honor include: Audrey Gacsy, Crown Point High School Inklings newspaper co-editor-in-chief, adviser Julie Elston; Andrea John, Crown Point High School Inklings newspaper co-editor-in-chief, Elston adviser; Jared Rigdon, Lawrence North High School North Star newspaper editor-in-chief, adviser Heather Klopfenstein; and Claire Rightley – Avon High School Echo newspaper editor-in-chief, adviser Bill Caulton. Nine portfolios were entered in the competition.

Pairing with the Symposium, the Pacers Media Day with the Indiana Pacers, followed. This event included a pre-game speaker panel on the sports media and communications industry, followed by an NBA game against the Utah Jazz. Students learned from seasoned professionals about their careers and experiences covering sports, both in Indianapolis and nationally, as well as advice on how to break into the industry straight from the sources.

Fall Convention

More than 300 students from 30 schools made their way to Franklin College for the 95th annual IHSPA fall convention. The two-day event included sessions covering a variety of media issues and interests and on-site competitions for students and advisers.

Top honors went to Columbus North High School’s Rachel McCarver, MJE, as the 2017 Ella Sengenberger Adviser of the Year award. McCarver was recognized for her significant contributions made to the state’s scholastic journalism. This award honors the memory of Ella Sengenberger, one of the founding members of IHSPA.

Also earning high honors Crown Point Principal Chip Pettit was named IHSPA’s 2017 Administrator of the Year. Both Julie Elston, Crown Point newspaper adviser, and Lisa Keene, yearbook adviser, praised Pettit for his commitment to leaving the decision-making process to the advisers and students, avoiding prior review tendencies and granting First Amendment Rights.

Rep. Ed Clere, R-New Albany and Ed Delaney, D-Indianapolis and Bill Chapman, a member of the Indiana Friends Committee on Legislation, were awarded with the Louis Ingelhart Friends of Student Press award. This award, presented by the IHSPA, is given to someone who is not a present adviser of any high school publication, but has made an outstanding contribution to scholastic journalism education and to Indiana scholastic journalism in particular. Each recipient made significant strides for the New Voices bill during the 2017 legislative session.

Awards and honors: Congratulations to Tom Gayda, MJE, who has been honored as the 2018 National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year. Gayda, a journalism teacher and director of student media at North Central High School in Indianapolis, was selected from among 14 teachers nominated nationally.

North Central High School in Indianapolis was named one of the 11 JEA First Amendment Press Freedom school winners.

Carmel High School’s Hilite Online! was named a NSPA Online Pacemaker finalist. Jim Streisel, MJE, is the adviser.


Iowa

Leslie Shipp, MJE
Johnston High School
6501 N.W. 62nd Ave.
PO Box 10
Johnston, IA 50131
W: 515-278-0449
Contact

Membership: Iowa currently has 45 JEA members. Much work has centered on cultivating one-on-one relationships with newer members.

Happenings:

IHSPA State Convention: The decision was made last year to secure more space and bigger rooms at the Memorial Union on the campus of the University of Iowa. Good thing. For the second year in a row, attendance topped 800 students and included 55 advisers and 35 speakers. Plans for next year include restructuring the day. Currently, all sessions other than the keynote run 50 minutes. Some topics might be better served with a longer block of time. There is also talk of adding a social media on-the-spot contest.

Adviser Professional Development: Seventeen advisers, a record number, attended a professional development day hosted by Drake University. The name was changed to Professional Development Day from Winter Thaw to convince principals it was worthwhile, which it is. Professor Chris Snyder talked about gadgets to try in the newsroom and Kelsey Kramar, photographer for the “Des Moines Register,” showed how to take better photos and video with an iPhone.

JOY contest: Work continued on improving the Iowa JOY contest. Paul Jensen, IHSPA Director, and Geof Fischer of the Iowa Newspaper Association again secured $250 from their organizations to offer a total prize of $500. Seven applied, the largest number ever. Continual encouragement for advisers to make their students aware during sessions at the state conference and other meetings, and an increased marketing presence on the IHSPA website could be reasons. In addition, Mariah Prendergast, an IHSPA intern, wrote several stories about past JOY winners and what they are doing now.

Leadership and Innovation in High School Media Conference: The third annual conference will be held April 4 at Iowa State University. This conference began as a collaboration among Drake University, Iowa State University, Simpson College and the Iowa Newspaper Foundation to offer an opportunity for students to meet for a day of learning in the spring opposite that state conference in October. Last year about 100 students attended. The Iowa JOY award is presented at the conference along with two other awards that boast $250 prizes.


Kansas

Susan Massy
Shawnee Mission Northwest H.S.
12701 W. 67th St.
Shawnee, KS 66216
W: 913-993-7286
Contact


Kentucky

Larry Steinmetz, CJE
Bullitt East High School
11450 Highway 44 E
Mount Washington, KY 40047
W: 502-869-6400  |  C: 502-727-8538
Contact

Membership: Kentucky has 15 active members.

Honors: James Miller, CJE, was recognized as a distinguished adviser by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

Happenings: Things are starting to fall into place with our Kentucky Journalism Teachers Association venture. We recently became an official organization and are actively recruiting members to both KYJTA and JEA. We have some big plans in store. We are also seeing a big transition with our struggling KHSJA organization. Our long-time director stepped down and we are transitioning to a partnership with Campbellsville University, although that may only be temporary.


Louisiana

Albert Dupont
Loyola University
School of Mass Communication
6363 St. Charles Ave. Box 201
New Orleans, LA 70118
W: 504-865-2653  |  C: 504-465-0637
Contact

JEA Louisiana Website

Membership: We have 20 members as of March 15, which is up three from the Fall 2017 report.

Events: The Spring 2018 JEA Louisiana Conference was held Feb. 1. We had about 75 students and advisers in attendance.  Our attendance was hurt by a freeze in New Orleans that shut down most schools in the region for three or four days. In turn, many schools had to cancel field trips.

We had presenters from WWL-TV, WVUE-TV, NOLA.com, Herff Jones, and Balfour along with Loyola Professors and students from the Maroon, Donnelley Center and Brand Lab organizations.  Also in attendance was Mississippi JEA State Director R.J. Morgan, CJE, who presented a session. His insight was valuable during an adviser roundtable session where he shared ideas that he has implemented at Mississippi conferences.

Awards and honors: As part of the Spring 2018 JEA Louisiana Conference, we presented the Louisiana State Journalist of the Year award to Luc Hebert of St. Paul’s School in Covington, Louisiana. Luc was offered a full tuition scholarship to the Loyola University School of Mass Communication as part of his award.

We also presented 21 different broadcast, print, photography and online journalism awards to various students and schools in Louisiana.

For the board: Keep up the great work!


Maine

Marcie Young
Presque Isle High School
16 Griffin St
Presque Isle, ME 04769
H: 207-551-3223
Contact

Membership: 2-3 members

Events: None to report

Awards and Honors: None to report


Maryland

Jessica Nassau, CJE
Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School
11710 Hunters Lane
Rockville, MD 20852
W: 301-692-4971
Contact

Membership: Maryland currently has 21 members, up from 16 in the fall.

Events: Planning is currently underway for next fall’s Journalism Day at the University of Maryland, hosted by the Maryland/D.C. Scholastic Press Association. If you would like to be involved, please feel free to contact me.

Awards and honors: We held our first state Journalist of the Year Competition in several years! Our winner was Sarah Elbeshbishi from Watkins Mill High School. Sarah’s article on a student athlete being benched because she was wearing a hijab led to changes in state law. Congratulations to Sarah and her adviser, Sara Confino!


Massachusetts

Bretton Zinger, MJE
238 Austin St
West Newton, MA 02465
C: 202-316-0309
Contact

Membership: There are 33 members in Massachusetts, up from 28 in the fall.

Events: I served on the advisory board for the New England Scholastic Press Association at the January meeting at Boston University. When sending out information to NESPA members, I include updates on JEA news and events, and vice versa when sending out to JEA members. I hope that linking the two more directly will help increase membership and participation in both organizations.

Outreach continues to try to bring new members into JEA, including directly contacting teachers/advisers.

Awards and honors: Cassidy Wang of Algonquin Regional High School was named Massachusetts Student Journalist of the Year.


Michigan

C.E. Sikkenga
1010 Franklin Ave.
Grand Haven, MI 49417
C: 616-405-6712

Membership: We are currently at 79 voting members in Michigan. That’s a net gain of 11 members since the fall report.

Events:

Judging Day: The Michigan Interscholastic Press Association recently welcomed over 70 teachers, college professors, professional journalists and college journalists to campus for our annual judging day. This crew judged over 4800 individual contest entries in Newspaper, Yearbook, Digital Media and Video categories. Award winners will be recognized at the MIPA Spring Conference at the Lansing Center in Lansing April 23.

One Day Workshop: MIPA hosts its annual one-day workshop on campus at Michigan State University March 16. Course offerings include:
Building Next Year’s Staff (Shari Adwers, MJE, Grosse Pointe North High School and Ava Butzu, Grand Blanc High School)
InDesign (Cody Harrell, East Lansing High School)
Newspaper (re)Design Clinic (C.E. Sikkenga, Grand Haven High School)
Photoshop (Ike Lea, Lansing Community College)

Spring Conference: MIPA will hold its annual Spring Conference at the Lansing Center in Lansing April 23. Typically attended by 1200-1500 student journalists, the purpose of the conference is to recognize the following:
Award winners in Individual Category Contests
JEA Journalist of the Year
Student Journalist Staff (MIPA’s 15-student member ALL STATE staff).
ALL-MIPA winners: recognition for the top overall student in the following areas of emphasis
Multiplatform Journalist
News Writing and Reporting
News Design
Photography
Video
Yearbook
Administrator of the Year
John Field Award (Friend of Scholastic Journalism)
Golden Pen Award (Adviser)

MIPA Summer Workshop: Planning and promotion is underway for the annual MIPA Summer Workshop. This year’s workshop will be held on campus at Michigan State University from July 29-August 2. This year’s theme is “What’s Your Superpower?”

Awards:
JEA JOY: Michigan is proud to announce the selection of Alex Harring of Grosse Pointe North High School as our 2017-18 Student Journalist of the Year. Alex is editor in chief of The North Pointe newspaper, advised by Shari Adwers, MJE.

Overall, Michigan received 32 portfolios from student journalists.

2018 Scholastic Press Freedom Award: Congratulations to Grosse Pointe North High School, Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan for earning a 2018 JEA First Amendment Press Freedom Award.

National Awards: Numerous Michigan publications have earned NSPA individual and staff honors. A complete list is available here.


Minnesota

Laurie Hansen, CJE
Stillwater Area High School
5701 Stillwater Blvd. N.
Stillwater, MN 55082
W: 651-351-8128

Membership: Minnesota currently has 33 members, up five from the fall report. One new member I met in Dallas joined and has since attended a Feb. 22 meeting about the Minnesota New Voices Act. Meeting the person and asking them to join JEA and attend our local events continues to be the best method of gaining membership.

Key Projects: Minnesota is making some progress on our New Voices Act after my rather bleak outlook in the fall report.  Lori Keekley, MJE, Jeff Kocur, CJE, and I along with students from seven area schools will attend a lobbying day at the state capitol March 19. Our sponsoring State Representative is Cheryl Youakim. The content of the bill can be seen here. (Both the House and Senate versions are the same.) The New Voices legislation is intended to clarify the roles of students and administrators in Minnesota. We would love to be the 15th state to have this legislation.

Additionally, Scott Gillespie from the Star Tribune would like to assemble a group of five to six students to participate in a roundtable on school safety and gun issues. The students may be recorded (video) and some excerpts will be used for print. WCCO may broadcast all or a portion of the event as well. This is in the planning stages. The response to his request was overwhelming and a date and specific plans were pending as I sent this report.

My projects: I am excited that my MJE article on anniversary yearbooks will be published in the summer edition of C:JET. Many thanks to Kim Green, MJE, for her guidance and Bradley Wilson, MJE, for making the article look so great.

In addition to my work on JEA membership, my work on the NSPA board has also been focused on increasing membership in the Minnesota High School Press Association. I have also continued my work on the board of judges, and we will continue to revise the critique services to resolve any issues.

Awards: Michael Korsh, editor-in-chief of the Royal Page from Hopkins High school, was named the 2018 Journalist of the Year for Minnesota. The Royal Page is advised by Jeff Kocur, CJE, member of the Scholastic Press Rights Committee.

The Echo staff from St. Louis Park High School (advised by Lori Keekley, MJE) will receive a 2018 JEA First Amendment Press Freedom Award. Congratulations to Keekley and her staff!

Upcoming Events: Minnesota’s annual Arts Journalism Day at the Guthrie is in the planning stages. Students will tour the theater, discuss review writing with an arts critic from the Star Tribune and then view a matinee of a play. Winning reviews will be posted on the MHSPA and JEM (Minnjournalism) websites.

Please visit our website.


Mississippi

R.J. Morgan, CJE
The University of Mississippi
102 Farley Hall
PO Box 1848
University, MS 38677
W: 662-915-7150
Contact

Membership: There are 16 JEA members in Mississippi, up from 14 last school year. Membership is encouraged at all Mississippi Scholastic Press Association (MSPA) events and a link to future JEA conventions is posted on the MSPA website. JEA Membership is one of the first planks we talk about with new advisers at our Adviser Institute each June.

Events: MSPA hosted its first-ever fall convention Oct. 30 at the University of Southern Mississippi (a new partner in crime). The goal was to expand access to our services for schools in the southern part of the state. For our first event, we had 440 students from 28 schools! Many were already members, but several were new schools who would never have traveled to our other events at Ole Miss. This is an exciting new system for us, and I think it should promote further growth and engagement. Our traditional Spring Convention (formerly our only statewide event) is March 27 at Ole Miss, and I’m optimistic we will not see a crater in our numbers.

Awards and honors: With our new two-convention format, we’ve moved all yearbook and lit mag awards – including Adviser of the Year – to the fall. Schools submitted their publications by Sept. 15, and we saw no drop-off in submission numbers during this transition year. The split allowed for smoother logistics and an increased emphasis on each award during our awards ceremony – doing them all together was almost a cattle-call. All Newspaper and Broadcast awards, as well as our editors of the year and our scholastic press ally awards, will be presented at the MSPA spring convention March 27. On a congratulatory note, Mississippi publications The Bear Facts (newspaper) and Earthwinds and Mindprints (literary magazines) will be honored this spring as CSPA Gold Crown Finalists, and Oxford High Adviser Diala Chaney earned her CJE.

First Amendment-related concerns: Though no major issues are pressing, Mississippi continues to struggle, as many states do, with heavy-handed administrators, prior review and de facto censorship. I have appointed Mandy Mahan of D’Iberville High School to serve as our state Scholastic Press Rights chair. She coordinated announcements at schools across the state for Scholastic Journalism Week and is active on our listserv in addressing press rights issues as they crop up with newer (and sometimes veteran) advisers.

For the board: I applaud the board’s continued emphasis on updating the JEA curriculum and on certification. These items best position us as a professional learning community for advisers, and I believe that should remain a central goal. I also applaud the expansion of the JEA/NSPA Partner Project with NSPA. Mississippi was the first to benefit from this, and the program is one I believe will make a difference long term.


Missouri

Erin Castellano, CJE
Clayton High School
1 Mark Twain Circle
Clayton, MO 63105
W: 314-854-6668  |  C: 314-807-3945

Membership: As of March 3 there are 143 voting members in Missouri. Voting members include Teacher/Adviser, Emeritus Teacher/Adviser, Lifetime Teacher/Adviser members, Affiliates (with director as voting member).

Happenings: Cronkite New Voices Act – HB 1940 finally got a second reading and was assigned to the Senate Education Committee. We are hoping it gets a committee hearing soon!

  • MJEA (Missouri Journalism Education Association) Partner Events
    • Hosted five student journalists/editors and their advisers attending a Leadership Conference at The University of Missouri Sept. 26.
    • Helped to pay the conference registration for one adviser and two students to attend the JEA/NSPA convention in San Francisco, April 12-15.
    • Hosting STL SNO DAY May 10. STL SNO DAY is an intense workshop packed with training and designed to help students learn and immediately put into practice methods to improve their website. A SNO Trainer will be on hand to meet students where they are and take them to the next level. The day’s group instruction will concentrate on showing methods to keep sites fresh, manage the content on the homepage, improve the look and utility of story pages and show how to pluck relevant information from analytics to make decisions about coverage and promotion.
    • Awards will roll out beginning May 1.
    • MediaNow in St. Louis, MO (June) and MediaNow Drake in Des Moines, Iowa (July) will take place this summer.
  • Journalism STL
    • Sarah Myers of Eureka High School is the journalismSTL Bruce Schneider Memorial Leadership Scholarship recipient for 2018.
    • Staffs from seven area high schools competed in our annual trivia night Feb. 20. Lafayette High School came in first, taking home a new 360-degree camera as the prize for their staff.
    • Our members submitted over 500 entries for our annual contests. Judging results will be available in late April/early May.
    • We are currently accepting applications for Curtis Kenner Memorial Summer Camp Grants. Applications are due April 3.
  • MIPA (Missouri Interscholastic Press Association)
    • MIPA hosts its annual Journalism Day March 28 at MU in Columbia. The event draws more than 1,000 high school journalism students and their advisers. Students attend sessions taught by MU Journalism faculty, MIPA high school journalism teachers and professional journalists. MIPA’s Student Journalist of the Year, Teacher of the Year and Emerging Journalism Educator will be honored as well as hundreds of students who entered MIPA’s annual journalism contest.
    • All programs including the monthly photo contests, three timed Challenges, and regional workshops were successful this year.
    • Membership continues to be at an all-time high.
    • SchoolJournalism.org, supported by MIPA, reaches hundreds of online readers each week, and over 9,000 subscribers with its email newsletter. If you have an amazing lesson for an article you’d like to share nationally, or know a pro who would make a good feature in the new “Q and A with the Pros” series, drop them a line at mipajourno@gmail.com. SchoolJournalism.org welcomes new contributors!
  • JEMKC (Journalism Educators of Metropolitan Kansas City)
    • Awards Night will be held April 25, 5:30-7 p.m. at KU Edwards Campus BEST Conference Center and will  feature a keynote speaker, individual awards and scholarship awards.

Awards and Honors:

Missouri Student Journalist of the Year: The 2018 Missouri Student Journalist of the Year is Zoë Butler of St. Teresa’s Academy in Kansas City, Missouri. Zoë was selected based on her wide variety of journalistic skills. Zoë is a talented writer, designer and demonstrates a steadfast commitment to editorial leadership. In addition to being at the forefront of creating a positive staff culture dedicated to producing top quality journalism, Zoë is able to harness her editorial leadership abilities to tackle tough stories with professionalism. Zoë is advised by Brad Lewis, MJE, who writes, “Zoë understands and enjoys the work it takes to create something original and to cover something well. As an example, our school recently experienced a tough situation involving student discipline which landed us in the local and national media spotlight. Zoë worked with our school president to cover the situation in a professional and journalistic manner for The Dart. No one else on staff could have written that story as well as Zoë. As in all her work, she acquires all of the information she can, and has the intelligence to distinguish among the details. Her news judgments are always insightful, as was witnessed with this story.” Congratulations to Zoë, Brad and all the staff at St. Teresa’s Academy. Zoë will represent Missouri very well in the national contest. See more of Zoë’s work here.

Check out numerous NSPA award winners here.


Montana

Linda Ballew, MJE
2212 4th St. S.
Great Falls, MT 59405
W: 406-727-4233  |  C: 406-799-8313
Contact

Membership:

  • Although Montana has always reported a small but relatively stable membership, interest in attending and participating in fall/spring meetings/contests has begun to slowly climb. The number of returning members has diminished. This is due in part to retiring advisers and cuts in co-curricular programs. However, the number of new advisers has started to encourage the MJEA board. Currently, MJEA has 21 members, which is an increase from last fall, and although we have recently had an addition of two new JEA members, these advisers have not joined MJEA. Our membership also includes two of Linda Ballew’s, MJE, new mentees who have been given honorary two-year memberships.
  • MJEA’s highly motivated and action-orientated president, Beth Britton, the CMR adviser of the Stampede and Russellog from Great Falls, Montana, continues to diligently work to assist the state’s journalism advisers through the dissemination of information and resources, working closely with the University of Montana School of Journalism and JEA’s state director Linda Ballew, MJE. She is beginning her fifth year as MJEA president.
  • Both Beth and Linda continue to request input on how to reorganize the association as well as what kind of resources would assist Montana advisers more effectively. Advisers are willing to use the resources Beth and Linda provide; however, they are not willing to engage in working within the framework of the organization. To gain a better understanding of this issue, we have reached out to former members and high school journalism programs throughout the state with surveys, emails, letters and requests to submit and participate in adding content and providing suggestions for updating the website.
  • The gap left in MJEA’s executive board continues to not be filled. We hope to encourage younger members to become engaged in MJEA. Montana journalism programs have undergone dramatic turnover with new advisers taking the helm of journalism programs in many of the small, rural as well as larger high schools. It is obvious that younger advisers need to find reasons to be professionally involved with our organization to revitalize what MJEA can offer to a diverse state membership.
  • Developing interest in JEA membership has also been encouraged by pointing to the value of the online journalism curriculum. This continues to perk interest in JEA. Advisers express their appreciation for the thorough and in-depth lessons, rubrics, Common Core Standards’ alignment and assessments they use both in their classrooms as well as with administrators who want advisers to demonstrate curricular accountability.
  • Multiple times, Beth and Linda have reached out to advisers to take advantage of opportunities such as  #Press4Education Initiative. As of today, we have had no response.
  • Maintaining and expanding MJEA and JEA membership continues to be a top priority.
    • Britton and Ballew have continued to email advisers encouraging them to communicate with us, retain membership in MJEA and JEA and participate in adding content and discussion to Mjeajournalism.com
    • Britton and Ballew have continued to send resource materials and membership forms in the mail encouraging communication and membership in MJEA and JEA.
    • Ballew has developed an outreach to new advisers through JEA’s Mentor Program. She currently has two Montana mentees in Lewistown and Billings. These advisers have been given access to MJEA and JEA membership.
    • The University of Montana’s Journalism Day for high school students is March 22 in Missoula. Communication with the School of Journalism has been limited. They have made cuts and decided to no longer include workshops, critiques and competition for yearbook. They have also ignored our request for a stronger adviser presence from high school advisers in workshops and seminars.
    • Yearbook advisers comprise a majority of MJEA’s membership. Britton and Ballew have decided to take on more responsibility for the state journalism contest to ensure that yearbook programs as well as social media programs will continue to have critique and contest services as well as the current newspaper and online publications. These will begin in the fall of 2018.
    • Britton and Ballew have seen the ties to the University of Montana’s School of Journalism change. They, too, are continuing to see the need to recruit as the numbers majoring in journalism have also decreased. Severe cuts to curriculum and faculty continue to occur at the University of Montana. The focus of the Journalism School has been adapting to ensure its viability rather than reaching out to assist and engage high school journalism programs.
  • Mjeajournalism.com: Information regarding the spring convention in San Francisco, resources from the New York Times, various articles and a look at an amazing multimedia project are only a few of the posts to mjeajournalism.com. This site continues to provide resources and information. Britton has also requested the following from our members and state advisers encouraging them to post to the site:
    • 1. Photos of their students in action, their classrooms, guest speakers, etc.
    • 2. Short opinion pieces written by advisers. Britton would like to have their voices on the site.
    • 3. Ideas for other advisers – lessons, celebrations, classroom set-up …
  • Sadly, there was no MJEA presence at this year’s MEA-MFT convention in Missoula. It was enjoyable meeting a handful of advisers last year at the classes. We are hoping for a larger presence at next year’s convention and in the future – The 2020 teachers’ conference will be in Great Falls. We will be there!
  • Developing interest in JEA membership has also been encouraged by pointing to the value of JEA’s dynamic journalism curriculum. This continues to perk interest in JEA. Advisers express their appreciation for the thorough and in-depth lessons, rubrics, Common Core Standards’ alignment and assessments that they can access for both in their classrooms as well as with administrators who want advisers to demonstrate curricular accountability.

Awards:

Good news!  We have a rising star in journalism. Senior Aston Kinsella from Sentinel High School in Missoula, Montana, has been chosen to represent Montana as the 2018 state Journalist of the Year! Congratulations, Aston!  His adviser is Jennifer Keintz.

Happenings:

2018 High School Journalism Day, Thursday, March 22. Check out the event schedule here.      

The Mentoring Program is doing well. Linda Ballew, MJE, is mentoring two Montana advisers.

The JEA office has been an essential asset because of the wonderful people in the office. They continue to help us by sending support materials as we try to enlist new members. The staff has also been essential in helping with materials that reinforce classroom issues and support Linda’s mentees. Thank you so much!

For the JEA Board: Please visit mjeajournalism.com.


Nebraska

Marsha Kalkowski, MJE
Marian High School
7400 Military Ave.
Omaha, NE 68134-3398
W: 402-571-2618, ext 1134
Contact

Membership: Nebraska is 59 JEA members strong!

Events: Nebraska has been working toward New Voices legislation (LB886), and although we didn’t get it through this term, we are one step closer with full support of Nebraska State Senator Adam Morfeld. Some of the major voices in the battle included: Michael D. Kennedy, Executive Director of the Nebraska Collegiate Media Association, Allen Beermann, executive director of the Nebraska Press Association (NPA); Jim Timm, executive director of the Nebraska Broadcasters Association (NBA); Michelle Hassler, executive director of Nebraska High School Press Association (NHSPA) and David Moshman, president of the Academic Freedom Coalition of Nebraska (AFCON). We thank them all for their undying and continued support.   

NHSPA held a Fall Convention at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in mid-October and will hold a Summer Journalism Workshop July 16-18. Contact Diane Schieffer at dschieffer@epsne.org for more information. We welcome students and advisers from other states!   

Nebraska had a strong showing of participants at the fall convention in Dallas. Thanks to the local committee.  We’ll have a few schools in attendance in San Francisco, as well as our Lifetime Achievement Winner, retiring adviser and long-time NHSPA Board member Janelle Schultz, CJE, of Gering, Nebraska. We congratulate her and all advisers who will be recognized in San Francisco.

Awards and honors: Nebraska JEA sponsored a Winter Contest.  More than 30 member schools participated. Thanks to our JEA friends from around the country who helped volunteer judge for us! Click here for a full list of winners.

Nebraska’s student Journalist of the Year is Annaliese Punt from Millard West High School. Her adviser is Mark Hilburn, MJE. Our runner-up is Brianna Parsons from Omaha Benson High School. Her adviser is Justine Garman.

For the board: Thanks for all you do for us!  Thanks for motivating and encouraging. Thanks for providing resources and inspiration!


Nevada

Matthew LaPorte, CJE
Southwest Career and Technical Academy
7050 W. Shelbourne Ave.
Las Vegas, NV 89113
H: 702-406-3871
Contact

Membership: The current membership for Nevada is 28 voting members. This is an increase of one voting member since the last report. I believe that the number will be back to the average 30-32 after teachers begin planning for the upcoming year this summer. In addition, I will be making efforts over the summer to make contact with individuals who are new to advising to encourage them to attend the last JEA Advisers Institute in Las Vegas.

Events: The annual SNSJ Journalism contest is starting to ramp up. Judges have been requested using the JEA Listserv to ensure that the highest caliber advisers and journalism professionals are reserved to critique the student work. Our numbers have continued to remain high for this event, so the hope is that the contest maintains or increases in the number of participants.

Additionally, a J-Day was attempted again at the end of January. About 100 student journalists and advisers attended the event. Because it was on a Saturday, we found this number to be a good start to keep pushing for a yearly event. The last time a J-Day was held in Southern Nevada was in 2016.

Awards and honors: Congratulations to Reno High School for being named a First Amendment Press Freedom recipient. This is a first time for the state of Nevada. The Re-Wa-Ne yearbook is advised by JEA member Taylor Ernst and the Red & Blue newspaper is advised by JEA member Christy Briggs, MJE.

Click here to see other Nevada award winners.

The Alexander Dawson School in Las Vegas has started its first broadcast journalism class with 16 staff members. They are currently working on podcasts and a quarterly feature video newsmagazine. The class is being co-taught by JEA member Jolie Lindley and Dawson technology staff member Kyle Baker.

For the board: New Voices Nevada SB420 was challenged by the Washoe County School Board in February. A new policy was presented that would have restricted the ability of WCSD yearbooks to cover any type of club or sport that was not directly connected to the school or school district. This would have resulted in club sports, like lacrosse, being removed or banned from the publication. Staff members from both Reno High School publications, as well as professional journalists in Northern Nevada and at the Student Press Law Center, contacted the school board to make their grievances with the policy known. After controversy about possible violations to press freedom and SB420 were brought to light, the clause about yearbooks was stricken from the policy. This was a great win for the New Voices Nevada law and student journalists in Nevada.


New Hampshire

Adam Theriault
Souhegan High School
412 Boston Post Rd
Amherst, NH 03031
W: 603-673-9940
Contact

Membership: New Hampshire has four members

Events: None to report

Awards and Honors:  The New Hampshire chapter of JEA is in the process of establishing the JOY state competition and will be actively collecting and judging portfolios by next year.


New Jersey

Greg Gagliardi, CJE
Cherry Hill High School East
1750 Kresson Road
Cherry Hill, NJ 08003
W: 856-424-2222
Contact

Membership: Our membership has grown to 51 members.  Our monthly GSSPA meetings typically have 10 to 20 members present, so we would love to not only increase our membership, but to also increase the number of people we see on a monthly basis.  If you are interested, please email me at greggagliardi@gmail.com.

Events: We are currently planning our spring advisers conference, which will take place at Rutgers University April 27.  The event will take on a roundtable format. Each table will address a different topic and will be run by an experienced adviser. The event will end with a full lunch where prizes will be raffled. Our two scholarship winners will be honored as well.

Awards and honors: As the recipient of the $5,000 Kilgore Scholarship, New Jersey’s HS Journalist of the Year is Greta Frontero of Westfield High School. The winner of the Stevens Scholarship, worth $2,000, is Hope Rosenblatt of Cherry Hill High School East. Both winners will be honored April 27 at our spring conference.


New Mexico

Nina Quintana, CJE
Bernalillo High School
148 Spartan Alley
Bernalillo, NM 87004
C: 505-450-7246  |  W: 505-404-5196
Contact

Membership: Current membership in New Mexico is 16. We are up one more new member since my fall report. After speaking with several journalism educators, it looks like the work I will be doing with the New Mexico Public Education Department will continue to increase our numbers further. There has been more inquiry and interest in how JEA can assist in professional development.

I have a meeting scheduled with the College and Career Readiness Bureau March 15, 2018 to discuss the journalism/communications pathway of study for our state. I have been asked to work with NMPED to develop this pathway and to promote the importance of journalism education to high school administrators. I will continue to reach out to New Mexico journalism advisers to increase NM membership.

Events/Happenings: The NMSPA State Leadership Conference was hosted Jan. 26. Although there were a few technical glitches with printing, all in all, it was successful. The increasing involvement of students and schools is beginning to alleviate some of the pressure from previous concerns about the lack of schools competing which may negatively affect our current NMAA standing. However, last year we saw an increase in attendance which was exciting. We received positive feedback on the new on-site broadcast competition and plan to improve and add to this competition. As I have been meeting with journalism advisers to increase JEA membership, I have also been encouraging advisers to participate in this year’s on-site competitions.

First Amendment Issues: Our state concerns continue; however, I am actively meeting with representatives from the New Mexico Public Education Department to address the concerns expressed from the members of JEA and continue to meet NMPED throughout the year. I have copied these concerns from my last report:

  • As I have been meeting with advisers two major concerns have come up. First, there has been a trend in schools cutting yearbook programs and journalism programs, moving them to a club activity and/or after school program. The number of students enrolling in student newspaper has decreased since the state took away the communications credit and changed to an elective credit. Additionally, programs are not receiving funding to support printing and/or to revamp their programs to meet a more modern newsroom.
  • The second area of concern is the lack of publications policies in school districts and the challenges of trying to get publications policies adopted by school districts. For example, I tried to submit a policy from the NSPA to be read by our school board for adoption. I was not put on the agenda and received an email from the superintendent with a document from the schools lawyer stating that what I proposed was not necessary and sent a policy that spoke more about student council than student publications. After speaking with individuals from other school districts we noticed the same trend with journalism advisers appealing to school districts to adopt publications policies and receiving similar policies that do not truly address student publications.  

Conversation is in the works to add our state to the New Voices movement to change the mindset about student journalism and the positive impact these programs have on developing students into active, free thinking and well informed members of society that should have a voice.  

For the Board: To offset funding issues, I am opening dialogue with advisers to move them in the direction of certifying for CTE. This will provide them with Carl Perkins funding for professional development and funding to purchase technology to develop their programs. This will also assist those schools that are currently cutting journalism programs to revitalize these programs to enhance student learning. As mentioned earlier, I am meeting with the College and Career Readiness Bureau (CCRB) March 15. The focus of the discussion is around the AV, Arts and Communications pathway of study.

I am excited to report that my meeting Oct. 19, 2017 proved successful! CCRB will recognize the CJE/MJE certifications as a qualifier for being considered a highly qualified teacher in the communications pathway of study. This is huge when considering what qualifications school districts consider for certified journalism educators in order to be considered a CTE teacher.

As I continue to meet with representatives of NMPED/CCRB, the focus of these conversations is the continuous development of the communications pathway of study. Promoting the resources and opportunities for professional development, JEA as the vehicle for training and development for future journalism educators will be a key as these conversations move forward.


New York

Patrick Bernal, CJE
Marble Hill High School for International Studies
John F. Kennedy Campus
99 Terrace View Ave Rm 822
Bronx, NY 10463
C: 646-675-2332

Membership: We currently have 22 members, down from 28 since the last report.

Events: JEA members Michael Simons, MJE, and Katina Paron, CJE, with the help of other educators and advocates, continue to push for New Voices legislation in the New York state legislature. With the help of teachers, students and professional journalists, the campaign is promoting A.9801: The Student Journalist Free Speech Act in the New York State Assembly and its companion bill in the State Senate, S.7721. Both bills continue to gain endorsements and other support across the state. The Assembly bill now has 13 co-sponsors. The 2018 legislative session concludes in June.

Awards and honors: Jacqueline Linge of Francis Lewis High School has won The Deadline Club’s annual award for Excellence in High School Journalism Teaching. Her award will be presented May 21 at the The Deadline Clubs awards dinner.

Townsend Harris High School’s student newspaper “The Classic” won the Student Press Law Center’s 2017 Courage in Student Journalism Award in Nov.

For the board: Thanks for your continued support, leadership and advocacy.


North Carolina

Marva Hutchinson
Providence Senior High School
1800 Pineville-Matthews Road
Charlotte, NC 28270
W: 980-343-5390
Contact

Membership: Current JEA membership for North Carolina as of March is 51, down four from last spring. N.C. Scholastic Media Association membership materials continue to offer a JEA membership option, as NCSMA is an affiliate member of JEA.

Events:

North Carolina Scholastic Media Institute, June 18-21

The North Carolina Scholastic Media Institute will be held at UNC-Chapel Hill June 18-21. High school journalism students and advisers are invited to enroll. The four-day workshop teaches innovative and effective ways of communicating through scholastic media: online news, newspaper, yearbook, literary magazine, photojournalism, design and broadcast news. The early bird application deadline for registration is May 1. For more information, visit ncsma.unc.edu.

Carolina Sports Journalism Camp, June 27-30

Rising high school juniors and seniors interested in sports and media are encouraged to apply to the second annual Carolina Sports Journalism Camp, UNC-Chapel Hill June 27-30. The four-day workshop will instruct students on sports play-by-play, sports writing and sports photography through classroom study and newsroom practice. Deadline for applications is April 1. The fee of $550 for in-state students and $1,100 for out-of-state students covers lodging, instruction and meals. For more information, visit jomc.unc.edu/csjc.

Journalism Education Fellowship Program, July 8-14

NCSMA’s Journalism Education Fellowship Program offers high school journalism teachers the opportunity to enroll in a one-week, short-term summer course with tuition funding provided by NCSMA. North Carolina journalism teachers and media advisers can qualify for free in-state tuition, lodging and books. The three-hour graduate credit course, “Teaching Journalism in the Secondary School,” will be July 8-14.

C:JET Project: An upcoming issue of C:JET will feature a special package on deliberation forums and journalism education, showcasing NCSMA’s pilot program with the Kettering Foundation. NCSMA Director Monica Hill, CJE, invited contributors, North Carolina journalism teachers making use of the pilot program’s resources.

Mentoring: North Carolina continues to participate in the JEA Mentor Program. Steve Unruhe, CJE, Carol Eanes, CJE, and Candace Brandt now serve as mentors.

Awards and honors: Arabella Saunders has been named the 2018 Rachel Rivers-Coffey North Carolina High School Journalist of the Year. Saunders is the co-editor-in-chief of First Flight High’s newspaper, Nighthawk News Magazine.

The three alternates are Jamie Cummings of TC Roberson High in Asheville, Aidan Bennett of Northwest Guilford High in Greensboro, and Caroline Bowers of TC Roberson High in Asheville.

Since 2001 the North Carolina Press Foundation has funded the annual scholarship award in honor of Rivers-Coffey, journalist and former North Carolina Press Association president. NCPF will award a $3,000 scholarship to Saunders. The alternates will each receive $1,000. The foundation will also award the winners’ high school journalism programs with matching funds.

Saunders will now represent the state in JEA’s national Journalist of the Year scholarship competition. The Rivers-Coffey state scholarships and awards will be presented June 21 at UNC-Chapel Hill during the North Carolina Scholastic Media Institute.

Congratulations to Brenda Gorsuch, MJE, retired from West Henderson High in Hendersonville, for winning the Linda S.  Puntney Teacher Inspiration Award from JEA. Gorsuch and Candace Brandt, retired from Providence Senior High in Charlotte have also been named winners of the JEA Lifetime Achievement Award.

Congratulations to Mark Harrison, adviser at TC Roberson High in Asheville, for being named one of CSPA’s four Distinguished Advisers.

Congratulations to Marva Hutchinson, adviser at Providence Senior High in Charlotte, for being named a CSPA Gold Key recipient.

Multiple North Carolina staffs have earned numerous NSPA and CSPA awards. A complete list is here.


North Dakota

Jeremy Murphy, CJE
West Fargo High School
801 9th St. E.
West Fargo, ND 58078
W: 701-499-1864

Membership: The Ohio JEA membership is at 59 members. Efforts are being made to recruit JEA members in Ohio. The Ohio Scholastic Media Association (OSMA) currently offers JEA membership through the state registration forms and Maggie Cogar, CJE, Ohio JEA state director, and Candace Bowen, MJE, use state press association events to inform Ohio advisers on the benefits of joining JEA. Also, email marketing using Constant Contact newsletters are being sent to all JEA and OSMA members, as well as to a database of over 800 administrators across the state, in an attempt to up membership for both JEA and OSMA.

Events: Ohio JEA and OSMA continue to offer events for scholastic media advisers and student journalists throughout the school year. This fall, the OSMA executive board hosted two regional workshops in October. The Region 1 workshop on Oct. 3 at Kent State University had over 380 students and advisers in attendance. The Region 5 workshop also saw high attendance numbers, with over 350 students and advisers attending the workshop held Oct. 9 at Otterbein University. While Region 1 and Region 5 in the state continue to show growth, the OSMA executive board is struggling to keep a fall workshop going in Region 4, or the northwest part of the state, where numbers remain low. The board also struggles to reach advisers in the southwest and southeast regions of the state, an issue that is actively discussed at every meeting.

The 2017-2018 annual state convention will be held April 6-7 at Kent State University, where the board anticipates around 500 students and advisers in attendance. This event is where the state press association awards over 1,000 individual awards to student journalists in pre-entered categories in writing, design, photography, broadcast, yearbook and online.

Awards and honors: Emma Stiefel, Lakota East High School, was named a national runner-up in the 2017 Journalist of the Year competition (Dean Hume, adviser) and Maggie Cogar, CJE, received the 2017 JEA national research grant to fund dissertation research on rates of student self-censorship in relation to administrative censorship.

For the board:

Member communication: In my role as JEA state director, I have tried to engage and inform members using Constant Contact email blasts. This school year, seven JEA/OSMA newsletters have been sent to members of both organizations and four of those emails were also sent to a database of over 800 principals from across the state. Emails average a solid 35-40% click rate with a 15-25% open rate. I’ve also been monitoring activity from schools that are not current members of OSMA or JEA and reaching out individually to see if they have any questions.

Updated judging rubrics: The OSMA executive board is also in the process of updating the rubrics used to judge the state competition. The rubric committee (led by JEA members Juli McClain, CJE, Angela Spano, CJE, and John Bowen, MJE) have updated state rubrics and are looking forward to further suggestions and protocol from the JEA committee working on this.

New Voices legislation: JEA member Mark Goodman is leading the process of gathering evidence to support New Voices Legislation. He is currently seeking testimony from advisers and student journalists in Ohio to support legislative efforts.

OSMA scholarship: Kent State University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication continues to offer a $500 scholarship to an outstanding high school senior, from an OSMA member school, who will be attending Kent State after graduation. Former scholarship recipient Madeline Zupko (2016) is now a photojournalism major and student worker at Kent State, assigned to OSMA and the Center for Scholastic Journalism.

JEA-sponsored research: My dissertation proposal titled “Censorship in High School Journalism: Examining administrative censorship practices and other factors in relation to the degree of student self-censorship” is in the proposal stages and awaiting committee review and approval. This research, funded by the 2017 JEA national research grant, will focus on factors that correlate to student self-censorship rates, including examining the correlation rate of self-censorship to the rate of perceived administrative censorship. Survey research will be conducted at a national JEA/NSPA convention once the proposal is approved.


Ohio

Maggie Cogar, CJE
Ashland University
401 College Ave.
138 Center for the Arts
Ashland, OH 44805
C: 330-441-2860
Contact

Membership: The Ohio JEA membership is at 58 members, down from 71 members from this time last year. Efforts are being made to recruit JEA members in Ohio. The Ohio Scholastic Media Association (OSMA) currently offers JEA membership through the state registration forms and Maggie Cogar and Ohio JEA state director, and Candace Bowen, MJE, use state press association events to inform Ohio advisers on the benefits of joining JEA. Also, email marketing using Constant Contact newsletters are being sent to all JEA and OSMA members, as well as to a database of over 800 administrators across the state, in an attempt to up membership for both JEA and OSMA.

Events: Ohio JEA and OSMA continue to offer events for scholastic media advisers and student journalists throughout the school year. This fall, the OSMA executive board hosted two regional workshops in October. The region 1 workshop Oct. 3 at Kent State University was one of the highest attended fall OSMA workshops to date, with over 400 students and advisers in attendance. The region 5 workshop also saw high attendance numbers, with over 350 students and advisers attending the workshop held Oct. 9 at Otterbein University. While region 1 and region 5 in the state continue to show growth, the OSMA executive board is struggling to keep a fall workshop going in region 4, or the northwest part of the state, where numbers remain low. The board also struggles to reach advisers in the southwest and southeast regions of the state, an issue that is actively discussed at every meeting. Audrey Wagstaff, MJE, is currently working to get a region 3 fall workshop going at Wilmington College for Fall 2018. The annual state convention will be held April 6-7, 2018 at Kent State University, where the board anticipates over 500 students and advisers in attendance. This event is where the state will also award over 1,000 individual awards to student journalists in pre-entered categories in writing, design, photography, broadcast, yearbook and online.

Awards and honors: Emma Stiefel, Lakota East High School, was named a national runner-up in the 2017 Journalist of the Year competition (Dean Hume, adviser) and Maggie Cogar, CJE, received the 2017 JEA national research grant to fund dissertation research on rates of student self-censorship in relation to administrative censorship.

For the board: One of the largest accomplishments and highlights of OSMA in recent years is the addition of an active OSMA student board. This student board, started by JEA members Kate Klonowski, CJE, and Karen Allen, is comprised of 11 students from regions across the state. Student representatives attend two meetings a year and organize sessions for both the fall workshops and spring state convention. They also offer feedback after each workshop or convention and that feedback has led OSMA to offer different types of sessions and change the schedule of workshops to better meet student and adviser needs. Most importantly, it has allowed students to have a voice within the organization. The OSMA executive board is also in the process of updating the rubrics used to judge the state competition. The rubric committee (led by JEA members Juli McClain, CJE, Angela Spano, CJE, and John Bowen, MJE) is in the process of updating the judging rubrics to address adviser concerns. Also in Ohio, JEA member Mark Goodman is leading the process of gathering evidence to support New Voices Legislation. He is currently seeking testimony from advisers and student journalists in Ohio to support legislative efforts. I am currently working on my dissertation proposal titled “Censorship in High School Journalism: Examining administrative censorship practices and other factors in relation to the degree of student self-censorship.” This research, funded by the 2017 JEA national research grant, will focus on factors that correlate to student self-censorship rates, including examining the correlation rate of self-censorship to the rate of perceived administrative censorship. My goal is to have my dissertation proposal approved in time to conduct student survey research at the JEA/NSPA national convention in April 2018.


Oklahoma

Darla Tresner, MJE
3512 Harvey Road
Bartlesville, OK 74006
C: 918-214-5815
Contact

Between the icy winter weather and the impending statewide teacher walkout, Oklahoma JEA has been busy working on a variety of projects around these obstacles. The first issue of a newsletter is about to be sent to all members, and the Facebook page is getting a facelift. Media Day, a conference that some members annually attend has been cancelled because of the impending teacher walkout. The other spring conference, Spring Media Monday, is planned for Monday, April 9. But if schools are still not in session at that time, then the event will be rescheduled for Monday, April 30. Many members attend this event and usually win a significant number of awards. Both conferences are a good time to invite advisers to join JEA for this next school year. As a result of input by other advisers a late summer, early fall adviser retreat is being considered. OKJEA hosted one of these a few years ago and it was very successful.


Oregon

J.D. McIntire
Sandy High School
37400 Bell St.
Sandy, OR 97055
W: 503-668-8011 ext. 7227

Membership: State membership in JEA and our state association are both above 50. This is the highest it has been in the last four years.

Events: Member schools enjoyed the Fall Press Day Program put on by our sister organization, Northwest Scholastic Press and School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon in October. NWSP and the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon also recently put on the Portland Media Day at the University of Oregon in Portland.

The OJEA Board has been concentrating on re-establishing the Summer Adviser Workshop Program. The workshop will again be held at Southern Oregon University in Ashland the week of Aug. 5-10. Ashland is also home for the national recognized Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The workshop will feature strands in Print Media, Web/Multi-Media and Broadcasting. Early bird registration is open until May 15. Click here for details.

The OJEA will also hold Board of Directors elections this spring for the first time in five years. We are excited to bring a new group of officers onboard and move forward in programming for our members.

Awards and honors: Emily Martin of West Linn High School is the Oregon High School Journalist of the Year for 2018. Teacher of the Year and Rookie Teacher of the Year will be announced in April.

For the board: With the construction of a new convention-sized hotel due to be completed in 2019, we hope to be considered for a future spring convention.


Pennsylvania

Kate Plows, CJE
1504 Windermere Road Apt 201
West Chester, PA 19380
H: 484-467-2817

Membership: Pennsylvania has 55 members.

Events: The Pennsylvania School Press Association (PSPA) hosted Student Journalism Competitions (SJCs) at six regional venues across the state throughout fall 2017. We are excited to add a new site at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in fall 2018.

Student winners in each category will compete at the statewide event hosted at the main campus of Penn State University March 27. News reporters and columnists will report on a press conference with Miss Pennsylvania, Katie Schreckengast, while literary, photography, and video contestants will explore other contest themes. Kevin Cirilli of Bloomberg News will also be a featured speaker.

Our board remains active and engaged, with several new members this year. Board members are working to revise our newspaper rubric for summer critiques, as well as to create a new rubric and contest for web. We’ve added a board member bio and contact page to our website.

Awards and honors: At the March 27 event, the following publications will be recognized as winners of Pennsylvania’s annual Keystone All-State Awards. The path to these annual awards begins with a summer critique submission, open to all PSPA member schools. In addition to receiving feedback from experts in journalism education, submitted publications automatically become part of a statewide contest. All publications earning overall “gold” recognition during the critiques are sent on to a new judge, where they are evaluated alongside other gold-ranked publications to determine the Keystone All-State Awardees.

Yearbook: Daedalus from Northeastern High School, Safari from North Allegheny Senior High School

Newspaper: The Castle from Pottsville Area High School

Literary Magazine: Variations from North Allegheny Senior High School, Gryphon from Penncrest High School

We will also be recognizing our Student Journalist of the Year, Ian Ong from Conestoga High School, as well as three runners-up in a very competitive JOY contest this year: Grace Marion from Neshaminy High School, Kayla Eaton from Freedom Area High School, and Daniel Malloy from Malvern Preparatory School.

Dr. Jane Blystone, MJE, will be awarded the JEA Lifetime Achievement Award at the spring 2018 JEA/NSPA Convention in San Francisco. Blystone has been a vital member of PSPA since 1983. She has helped with all aspects of PSPA, including presiding over the association on five separate occasions.  She’s an active member of the Journalism Education Association Certification Committee and the JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee. She was nominated by Conestoga High School adviser Susan Gregory, MJE.


Rhode Island

Doreen Picozzi, MJE
Lincoln High School
135 Old River Road
Lincoln, RI 02865
W: 401-334-7500  |  C: 401-524-6517
Contact

Membership: Rhode Island currently has two members.

Awards and Recognition: In the Buddies Not Bullies National Contest, Lincoln High School Journalism & Broadcast Academy students Hannah Leopold-Brandt and Rachelle Bousquet received second place in the high school category.

Lights, Camera, Save!, a video contest organized by the American Bankers Association Foundation, awarded its top three regional awards to Lincoln High School students:  The First Place Regional Award and $200 went to LHS Journalism & Broadcast Academy senior Amanda Ryan for “A Fork in the Road”; Second Place Regional Award ($100) to LHS Journalism & Broadcast Academy junior Sarah Brouillard for “Quiet Your Inner Child”; and Third Place Regional Award ($50) went to Hailey Joyce for “T’was the Morning of Black Friday.” Amanda Ryan moved on to the national competition.

The New England Scholastic Press Association Localizing Contest Award went to Rachelle Bousquet for “High School is Not Like the Movies” feature published in the Nov. 2017 issue of The Lion’s Roar, Lincoln High School’s student newspaper.

PBS.org News Hour Extra’s “Student Voices” page included the editorial commentary of Mary Lind, an editor-in-chief of Lincoln High School’s The Lion’s Roar.  PBS.org invited students from across the nation to contribute to “How teens want to solve America’s School Shooting Problem.”

Happenings: Lincoln High School hosted its 12th Annual “My Story​” the morning of Feb. 16, 2018​ as part of our celebration of National Scholastic Journalism Week. LHS’s Journalism Broadcast Academy has been hosting the unique and informal forum featuring accomplished media professionals from all corners of our region since 2007. Thanks to 10 media professionals who joined us for this year’s event, the students of the academy enjoyed one of most powerful lessons of the academic year. And for many, the event is the final impetus that propels them into media and communication majors after high school. That is because it is personal. While our guests shared their own journeys into the profession, a panel discussion covered some of the most compelling issues of the day, including:  The nature of journalism in the era of Trump, integrity and accuracy in reporting, turbulent political landscapes, the newsroom on a slow news day​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​, the biggest stories of the year and more. “My Story”​ brings together the best and brightest of our student body with the best and brightest of the profession in a shared career exploration. Our guests this year represent a range of media: Frank Carpano and Joe Doris of NBC10, Mike Montecalvo of WPRI-12, Nick Coit of ABC6, Michael Delaney of the Providence Journal, Paul Zangari from WPRO, Bekah Berger of Hot 106, Joe Callahan from WOON, Tom Carroll of WBZ Radio and Annie Carroll of WHDH, Channel 7 in Boston. (Tom Carroll ’10 and Annie Carroll ’13 are Academy grads.)

The Rhode Island and Southeast Mass professional community is truly supportive of Lincoln High School’s CTE-accredited Journalism Academy.  LHS Journalism Academy Students have participated in job shadows this year at WJAR (NBC10) in Cranston, Rhode Island and at HOT 106 radio thanks to the syndicated radio host Bekah Burger. Our students are also auditing broadcast classes at Bryant University in April with WPRI TV anchor Mike Montecalvo. The NBC 10 Satellite Truck is returning to LHS next month.  Students will staff the truck and broadcast live into LHS classrooms.

Rhode Island’s JOY competition recognizes the work of Mary Lind, co-Editor-in-Chief of The Lion’s Roar at Lincoln Rhode Island. Mary was a 2017 Al Neuharth Spirit Award winner. Her portfolio was selected by a judging panel of three professionals and three teachers.


South Carolina

Leslie Dennis
S.C. Scholastic Press Assn. and SIPA
800 Sumter St.
School of Journalism and Mass Communications
Columbia, SC 29208
W: 803-777-6146
Contact

Happenings:

Carolina Journalism InstituteThe Carolina Journalism Institute will take place June 14-17 at the University of South Carolina’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication in Columbia, South Carolina. This summer’s institute is limited to 75 students and will combine written, visual and social media elements. Students will be placed in a group, assigned a beat and produce a story for various platforms using skills taught throughout the Institute. Faculty members – AJ Chambers, Kelly Furnas, MJE, Lindsay Theaker and others – will teach sessions and act as mentors to students. Tuition is only $225 and on-campus housing is $100. Find out more information online.

SCSPA Spring Conference SCSPA will hold its spring conference April 23. Newspaper, online and broadcast evaluation and individual awards, as well as the Journalist of the Year, the SCSPA and Yearbook scholarships, the Reid H. Montgomery Adviser of the Year and the Scroggins Award are presented during the spring conference. Student and adviser officers for the SCSPA board will be elected at the conference as well.

SIPA convention SIPA’s 2018 convention exceeded last year’s 15-year high attendance number and had a diverse group of over 600 students and advisers from seven states traveling to Columbia, South Carolina, March 2-4. Beth Fitts, MJE, retired Oxford HS adviser and Mississippi Scholastic Press Association director, was recognized as the SIPA Endowment speaker. Jake Palenske was the Friday night keynote speaker and shared his insights into social media and digital storytelling, while Dana Coester of West Virginia University shared her experiences of helming a start-up website, 100 Days in Appalachia, during the Saturday morning keynote session.  

Awards: Student Journalist of the YearVy Mai, a senior at South Pointe High School (Rock Hill), has been named the South Carolina Journalist of the Year by SCSPA. Mai, the editor-in-chief of South Pointe’s SPINwired, an online new source, and an online representative on the SCSPA executive board, will receive $500 and recognition at the 2018 SCSPA Spring Conference.

SCSPA director Leslie Dennis was named the 2018 Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s James F. Paschal Award winner and The Cavalier, Richland Northeast High School, Columbia, South Carolina was a CSPA News Crown Finalist.


South Dakota

Susan Smith
South Dakota State University
USU 069 Box 2815
Brookings, SD 57007
W: 605-688-6638

Membership: The online JEA directory lists just three members in South Dakota. Obviously, there’s work to do here. Advisers who attended a fall training session at South Dakota State University were given JEA membership materials. We plan to discuss JEA membership during the advisers’ meeting that is held in conjunction with our annual convention.   

Events: The South Dakota High School Press Convention is taking place March 28 at SDSU. We expect more than 250 students from throughout the state to attend along with their advisers. The convention is moving to the fall semester, so SDSU is hosting the second one in October.  A summer journalism camp for high school journalism students is planned for June 8-10 at SDSU.

South Dakota has joined the New Voices campaign, thanks to an effort led by Gage Gramlick, editor-in-chief of the Statesman at Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls. Gage is giving a brief presentation at the spring convention. We hope that will inspire more South Dakota high school journalists to join next year’s legislative push.

Awards and honors: We held a high school journalist of the year competition this year for the first time in several years. This contest is not aligned with the national JOY program. We are looking at doing that in the future. We created a new award for students: Outstanding Service to South Dakota High School Journalism. In addition, the South Dakota High School Activities Association conducts an annual contest to recognize excellence in newswriting, photography, newspaper and yearbook. All award winners are being recognized at the spring convention.


Tennessee

Heather Nagel, CJE
Christ Presbyterian Academy
2323 Old Hickory Blvd.
Nashville, TN 37215
W: 615-373-9550
Contact

Membership: We have 46 members.

Events:

  • Tennessee High School Press Association had its annual Awards Day March 5. Journalism students were recognized in a myriad of media.
  • Joy McCaleb is our state’s JEA Mentor. She is a mentor to the following advisers and schools: Shannon Carney – Wilson Central, Brittany Lawton – Mt. Juliet, Courtney Schultz – Hume Fogg, Renee Craig – Upperman (yearbook only) , Joseph Davis – Upperman ( new newspaper advisor), Allison Mahan – Cookeville High School

Awards and honors:

  • Student Journalist of the Year: Carolyn Lane, St. George’s Independent School
  • Adviser of the Year: Allison Mahan, Cookeville High School
  • Administrator of the Year: Mel Brown, Mt. Juliet High School
  • Best Overall: Literary Magazine, St. George’s Independent School: Sculpture Garden
  • Newspaper, Hardin Valley Academy: Hawkeye
  • TV Station, Brentwood High School: WBHS 9
  • Website, Nashville Christian School: NCS Student News
  • Yearbook, Lion’s Roar, Christ Presbyterian Academy
  • Individual awards can be found here.
  • We have one school up for a yearbook Pacemaker this spring at the JEA/NSPA San Francisco Convention.
  • We have two schools up for Crowns this spring at the CSPA Convention, one for literary magazine and one for yearbook.

Texas

Leah Waters, CJE
Heritage High School
14040 Eldorado Pkwy
Frisco, TX 75035
W: 469-633-5955 x 25917  |  C: 972-822-6950
Contact

Membership: Texas JEA membership is at 326, reflecting an increase from last year’s local participation in the 2017 fall convention in Dallas.

Events/Happenings: The Interscholastic League Press Conference State Convention will be May 5-6 at the University of Texas in Austin. In addition, ILPC will host its annual Summer Workshop June 15-17, also at the University of Texas.

TAJE members have elected new representatives to serve for the 2018-2020 school years: Melissa Witt, Region 1 (Dimmitt High School); Stacey Hohertz, Region 2 (Kirby Middle School); Corey Hale, Region 3 (Lovejoy High School); Paige Dyer, Region 4 (Whitehouse High School); Ricky J. Shubert, Region 5 (Big Spring High School); Pedro Cabrera, CJE, Region 6 (Judson High School); Kari Riemer, Region 7 (Hendrickson High School); Melonie Menefee, Region 8 (Buffalo High School); Laura Negri, CJE, Region 9 (Alief Kerr High School); Kelsey E Martin, CJE, Region 10 (Memorial High School)

TAJE is partnering with School Newspapers Online to provide a summer workshop July 31-August 1 in Allen,Texas for instructors and two students per school team. The TAJE board and regional representatives will meet for its annual retreat July 7-9.

TAJE operates its own website and listserv at www.taje.org. In addition, webmaster Leland Mallett, CJE, maintains both a Facebook and a Twitter account to disseminate information from JEA and TAJE. Members of the TAJE board contribute to all social media accounts.

Awards and Honors: JEA will recognize 12 Lifetime Achievement Award recipients who have contributed significantly to scholastic journalism throughout their career, including TAJE Executive Director Cindy Todd and retired adviser Wayna Polk, MJE. These individuals will be honored April 13 at the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Convention in San Francisco.

JEA also named Leland Mallet, CJE, of Mansfield Legacy High School as a Distinguished Yearbook Adviser and Rebecca Pollard, MJE, of Lovejoy High School as a Special Recognition Yearbook Adviser.

Texas Student Journalist of the Year:

Kobe Roseman has been named the 2018 Texas Journalist of the Year by the TAJE. A student at St. Mark’s School of Texas located in Dallas, Kobe is the editor-in-chief of The ReMarker student newspaper and is the sixth consecutive student from the program to be named as the Texas JOY.

For the board: Members of the TAJE and ATPI boards are considering the benefits and logistics of creating a journalism student organization in order to take advantage of CTE opportunities not afforded to programs now. We are in the earliest stage of talks, but would like to welcome input from the board about any precedents set in other states.


Utah

Terri Hall, CJE
Davis High School
325 S. Davis Blvd.
Kaysville, UT 84037
W: 801-402-8925

Membership: Utah has 11 JEA Members.

Events: The Utah State University Student Media Association (USUMA) is hosting their second annual Scholastic Media Day at USU Friday, April 13, 2018. Students attend different workshops and classes throughout the day, and receive awards for journalism excellence at the end of the event. Student journalists can enter a variety of pieces they have been working on throughout the school year. The association chooses a first, second, and third place winner in each category. Cost is $10 per student, which also allows them three entries to the contest. More information can be found here. Deadline for entries and registration is March 23.

The Utah College Media Alliance (UCMA) is currently taking submissions for their second annual Utah Futures of Journalism Awards Contest. Entries are due April 19, 2018, and the awards ceremony will take place May 19, 2018 at the University of Utah. More information can be found here.

UCMA is also hosting a Utah High School Journalism Boot Camp at Utah State University June 27-29. Cost is $125 per student, which covers housing, food, and workshops for the entire camp. This year’s theme is Empowering Student Voices.

Awards and honors: As I have just become the new state director, we did not have a Student Journalist of the Year for Utah this year, but plan to hit it hard next year.

For the board: The student-led New Voices movement is still well underway in Utah, aiming to get the issue of free speech for student journalists discussed in the 2019 legislative session. More information can be found on the New Voices of Utah Facebook page.


Vermont

Nancy A. Olson, CJE
45 Pratt Road
Putney, VT 05346
H: 802-387-5963
Contact

Membership: Vermont has three JEA members.

Events: I am working with SNO to establish a website for Vermont JEA.


Virginia

Erinn Harris, MJE
Thomas Jefferson High School
for Science and Technology
6560 Braddock Road
Alexandria, VA 22312
W: 336-775-7397
Contact

Membership: We have 83 current members.

Events: The fourth annual jRetreat went off without a hitch over MLK weekend. Kelly Furnas, MJE, joined us for a great weekend of learning and fellowship in Petersburg. Next year’s retreat will take place the same weekend, with Bobby Hawthorne coming to conduct a hands-on workshop on writing and reporting with our membership. Out-of-state teachers and advisers are always welcome.

At the board meeting that followed jRetreat, the VAJTA board made headway in our New Voices effort. We are in the planning stages now, working with Frank LoMonte, Carol Lange, CJE, and Roger Soenksen who are taking the lead on initial legwork. Since both D.C. and Maryland have equivalent legislation to what we’re hoping to put forward, the board is optimistic about our changes to get legislation passed in the Commonwealth.

The last piece of business at this board meeting was to install Kristin Untiedt-Barnett as Assistant Director of VAJTA.

Awards: We recently named Christine Zhao, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, as Virginia Student Journalist of the Year. Christine’s adviser is Erinn Harris, MJE. Second place went to Aseal Saed (Annandale High School, adviser –  Alan Weintraut) and third place to Lucie Rutherford (Harrisonburg High School, adviser – Valerie Kibler, MJE). One of the most exciting things about this year’s contest was the fact that our number of applicants went from three applicants in 2017 to 10 applicants in 2018. I attribute this to increased social media reminders, increased dialogue with not only JEA members, but also a newly compiled Virginia adviser database. I look forward to our contest growing even bigger in the future.


Washington

Sandra Coyer, MJE
Puyallup High School
105 7th St. S.W.
Puyallup, WA 98371
W: 253-841-8711 ext. 6608

Membership: Our organization currently has 104 state members, with 75 individuals also members of JEA.

Events: Since the fall report, WJEA has hosted our annual spring conference March 10 at Glacier Peak High School in Snohomish county, northeast of Seattle. Over 200 students and their advisers attended the day, filled with sessions by working professional journalists and media experts as well as write-off contests. Susannah Frame, from King-5 television was the keynoter and shared her experiences as an investigative reporter on the Hanford Nuclear Site and the health issues connected to it. Her investigations led to legislation being signed by Washington Governor Jay Inslee.

The Washington New Voices legislation was signed into law by the governor. It passed the state Senate 45-4 and the House 91-6.

One of our exciting, upcoming events is our 2018 Summer Workshop held at Western Washington University. The theme of the camp is “It’s All Connected” with expert-in-residence Michelle Coro, CJE, from Desert Vista High School in Phoenix, AZ.

Awards and honors: Mountlake Terrace High School in Lynnwood has been honored as recipients of the 2017 First Amendment Press Freedom Award.

Ted Lockery, adviser at Nathan Hale High School, has been honored as the 2018 WJEA Adviser of the Year. His award was presented by outgoing Adviser of the Year Jacob Crouch and Lockery’s students at the state conference.

The WJEA Dorothy McPhillips Award is the highest award given by the Washington Journalism Education Association, and honors a member for extraordinary achievement in improving scholastic journalism in our state. This award is not given out annually; rather it is awarded only when it is warranted.

This year, Auburn High School adviser, Tom Kaup, MJE, was honored with the 2018 Dorothy McPhillips Award at the WJEA State Conference at Glacier Peak High School March 10. Kaup and his students at Auburn High School are credited with inspiring Senator Joe Fain to sponsor the most recent effort to pass Scholastic Press Rights legislation in Washington state, an effort that was successful. This success came after several previous attempts to pass similar bills in our state.

Dorothy McPhillips was president of WJEA in the early 80s, then was elected national president of the Journalism Education Association in 1983. For the next 15 years, McPhillips advanced the status of scholastic journalism nationwide through her research proving the value of student journalism programs and her outreach to elevate the status of journalism education in our schools. She encouraged states to pass “anti-Hazelwood” legislation after that landmark 1988 Supreme Court decision diminished student autonomy over content in their student media. The first effort to pass anti-Hazelwood legislation in Washington state in 1992 was spearheaded by Dorothy McPhillips.

Long-time First Amendment advocate, Fern Valentine, MJE, says that Kaup’s invitation to Sen. Fain to visit his newsroom was instrumental in setting this legislative push in motion.

The Washington Journalism Education Association honors teacher and media adviser Tom Kaup, MJE, for furthering the cause that Dorothy McPhillips dedicated herself to so tirelessly.


West Virginia

Jessica N Bramer, CJE
John Marshall High School
1300 Wheeling Ave.
Glen Dale, WV 26038
W: 304-843-4444
Contact

Nothing to report.


Wisconsin

Rachel Rauch, CJE
Homestead High School
5000 W. Mequon Road
Mequon, WI 53092
W: 262-238-5632

Membership: I am continuing to serve on the KEMPA board.

Kettle Moraine Press Association (KEMPA) News:

KEMPA WInter Adviser Seminar: KEMPA’s annual Winter Adviser Seminar took place in Lake Geneva March 2-3 with Lori Keekley, MJE, (Minnesota) keynoting. Sessions were centered on the idea of “Empowering Student Voices,” including KNOWING PRESS LAW — During this session, we discussed the big five: copyright law, Freedom of Information Act, New Voices legislation, Tinker/Hazelwood and prior review, and prior restraint; HANDLING CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES — From pornography to teen homelessness to student fatalities, this session outlines how one school approaches controversial topics in both web and print;  LEADERSHIP: HOW TO EMPOWER OTHERS — This interactive session explained how student media editors should approach the difficult task of leading peers. Then, advisers role played student editors in enacting possible problematic scenarios; COACHING — We saw how one staff embraces the coaching method in order to not only better train, but also to better cover the issues they tackle. This session showed how to coach from story inception to publishing and encompass content, design, photography.

KEMPA Summer Journalism Workshop: The Kettle Moraine Press Association’s Summer Journalism Workshop is rich with tradition and excellence. Our four-day workshop will provide your students with one of the best educational experiences in the nation, with some of the best instructors. On top of that, we firmly believe that the “camp” experience is equally important. Our KEMPA Kampers have a blast getting to know one another in our unique house system and challenges.

Kampers stay in a dorm on Marquette’s campus in the heart of Milwaukee, which provides our camp with access to a number of opportunities for storytelling, team building, and more. It also means that we are a short distance from many forms of transportation if you are needing to come in from far away.

We have some of the best instructors in the country, with one of the strongest curriculums for camp this year. Our curriculum is tracked and provides students with a variety of learning experiences geared toward their ability levels and experiences. Our instructors develop the courses to provide for a wide variety of skills and interest levels, all in an effort to make your KEMPA Kamper the most successful he or she can be.

Early bird registration for KEMPA SJW closes June 15. Regular registration for KEMPA SJW closes July 1. Click here to register.

NEWSPA News: The NEWSPA annual conference will be held April 18, 2018 at the Reeve Memorial Union at UW Oshkosh. Register by April 4 for a reduced rate. To register or learn more, click here.


Wyoming

Dawn Knudsvig
Arvada-Clearmont High School
1601 Meade Ave.
P.O. Box 125
Clearmont, WY 82835
W: 307-758-4444


Liaisons


National Scholastic Press Association

Laura Widmer
National Scholastic Press Association
2829 University Ave. S.E., Suite 720
Minneapolis, MN 55414
W: 612-200-9254
Contact

Thanks for the opportunity to tell you about what’s going on at National Scholastic Press Association. We value our partnership with JEA and look forward to future conventions and projects for the betterment of scholastic journalism.

NSPA welcomed a new board member after Dallas convention. Welcome to the board Mitch Eden, MJE, from Kirkwood High School in Missouri.

This year’s Pioneer class was recognized in Dallas at the fall convention and at the upcoming San Francisco spring convention.

Eight educators, who have shared their passion of scholastic journalism to students nationwide, have been recognized as National Scholastic Press Association Pioneer recipients.

Jeanne Acton, Jeff Browne, Brenda Field, MJE, Kathy Hill Habiger, MJE, were recognized at the adviser awards luncheon in Dallas. Vicki McCash Brennan, CJE, Pete LeBlanc, CJE, Al Tims, Ph.D., and Mitch Ziegler, CJE, will be recognized at the luncheon in San Francisco.

The Pioneer is the highest honor NSPA awards to journalism educators. Pioneers are individuals who make substantial contributions to high school journalism programs and scholastic journalism education outside their primary employment.

Pacemaker judging continues with the new system of current, and at times, teamed with retired advisers to evaluate the best of the year.

We invited a group of NSPA advisory committee members to a work weekend in Minneapolis in February. The group discussed current contests and critiques offered by NSPA, as well as additional services.

The travels with Kelly continue. Kelly Glasscock, CJE, and I have hit the road to visit with upcoming convention hotel planning teams, as well as the local planning committees throughout the year. Also, we are closing in on more site visit trips to firm up convention cities for 2021 and 2022.

Kelly and Laura have collaborated to obtain overflow properties for members.

NSPA year-to-date membership is up 24 percent. Great news!

We finalized the partnership with the Gloria Shields All American Workshop. The workshop, held in Dallas, has educated thousands of high school journalists for 37 years, including approximately 600 students and 60 advisers from eight states in 2017. In 2017, most of the staffs participating in the Gloria Shields Workshop were NSPA members, with 13 Pacemaker-winning schools represented.

The Gloria Shields/NSPA Media Workshop is scheduled for June 25-28, 2018, at its longtime location at the Addison Marriott Quorum near the Galleria in Dallas. Early bonus classes are scheduled for June 24. The workshop website has been redesigned and is now active.

As executive director of NSPA, I value your opinion. I want to hear from you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out, and you may want to consider joining the NSPA Advisory Committee. You can reach me at laura@studentpress.org


Student Press Law Center

Hadar Harris Esq
Student Press Law Center
1608 Rhode Island Ave.
Suite 211
Washington, DC 20036
W: 202-785-5450
Contact

This is an exciting time for student journalism and for SPLC.  In the few months since we saw you all at the fall convention in Dallas, SPLC has made some exciting progress which we would like to share with you.

Expanding our Legal Hotline and Exploring New Strategies

Working with you and providing legal assistance is the core of SPLC’s work. As we do that, we want to be sure that we can not only answer your inquiries, but also track trends and consider new legal responses, so we have expanded our team and refined our process.

We are very excited that Sommer Ingram Dean joined us in February as a full-time staff attorney.  She has heartfelt connections to student journalism and a long history with the SPLC. Sommer was a staffer for the Tiger Times at Texas High School, Texarkana, and The Daily Reveille at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.  Sommer, who is based in the D.C. office, graduated from Georgetown University Law School and was a journalism intern at SPLC while an undergrad and a summer legal fellow while in law school. We are excited that she has joined the team!

In addition, we have expanded the role of veteran senior legal counsel Mike Hiestand, who remains based in Washington state and are thrilled that former executive director Frank LoMonte maintains his affiliation as a senior legal fellow, consulting on several long-term cases and providing input as issues arise.

We also held a series of webinars with our 200+ member Attorney Referral Network, made up of top media law attorneys from across the United States to prepare them for helping with any cases which may emerge from student journalists covering the walkouts and protests this spring.  Attorneys from Hawaii to Vermont (and many spots in between) were on the call and are standing by to help. We hope to involve them in deeper ways in SPLC’s work and support for student journalists in coming months.

Finally, as you may have noticed, we are emphasizing use of our online legal request form as the best way for students and their advisers to confidentially contact us or set up a half-hour Skype or phone call with legal staff. While we continue to respond to every phone call, using the form allows us to collect more detailed information that helps our immediate response and inform future strategies by monitoring trends (both substantive and geographic).

We hope you have an opportunity to spend time with us in San Francisco, and we are also looking forward to Chicago in the fall.

Focusing on Hazelwood @30 and Launching First Annual Hazelwood Day of Action

SPLC kicked off a year of activities to mark the 30th anniversary of the Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier Supreme Court case by launching the first annual Hazelwood Day of Action Jan. 31.  The day was focused on raising public awareness of the decision’s destructive legacy and was a call to action for students, advisers and journalists across the country concerned about censorship and student free press rights.

Student journalists and advisers held events around the country, participating in online and in-person events, and writing columns and op-eds about the pernicious effects of the Hazelwood decision.  Photos of students with banners, signs and “Cure Hazelwood” bracelets were all over Twitter and Instagram.

SPLC hosted 11 short Facebook Live broadcasts at the top of every hour throughout the day featuring student journalists who had been impacted by censorship as well as interviews with Kathy Kuhlmeier Frey and Mary Beth Tinker.  We also conducted an excellent webinar (which is essential viewing to understand the history and impact of the Hazelwood decision) on Hazelwood: Then and Now, featuring Mark Goodman, Frank LoMonte and Mike Hiestand. To see a summary of the day, access resources for planning future events or gain inspiration for teaching about Hazelwood, click here.

The New Voices Movement Continues to Make Progress with a New Law in Washington

Students and advisers crowded into Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s office March 21 in Olympia, Wash. to witness his signing of the state’s New Voices bill. Among those present were Kathy Schrier, the executive director for the Washington Journalism Education Association, retired adviser Fern Valentine, who had championed the bill since 1992, and SPLC’s Mike Hiestand.

“We think of this as a bill freeing students to criticize politicians, which is one of the most treasured rights in the state of Washington,” the governor said.  

There is New Voices legislation currently pending in New York, Minnesota, Missouri and New Jersey and we are hopeful that they will join Washington in celebrating a New Voices law by the end of the legislative term.  Despite valiant efforts, bills in Indiana, Nebraska and South Dakota went down to defeat this year.

There are now 14 states that provide student journalists protection from censorship, a measure necessary in light of the 1988 Hazelwood Supreme Court decision. In 2017, three states — Nevada, Rhode Island and Vermont — enacted the reform legislation.

SPLC is currently in the midst of creating a multi-year strategy to work with New Voices leaders across the country to support their strategies and to assist in their efforts to ensure that every state has protection for student free press rights and protections for advisers against retaliation.

New Webinars, Tip Sheets and Web-Based Resources are Waiting for You

We hope that you have seen SPLC’s new webinar series – a monthly series of webinars focused on “Things You Need to Know.”  Since the school year began, we have held monthly webinars responding to trends we’ve seen in calls to the hotline or focused on recent events.  In addition to a “Back to School” webinar in Sept., we held two webinars on facets of reporting on #MeToo sexual abuse and harassment stories, a webinar on the history and implications of Hazelwood, and a webinar (in collaboration with the Education Writers Association) on Reporting on DACA.  The webinars each run around 40 minutes and can be accessed from the SPLC’s YouTube channel.  In addition, we have created several new tip sheets about Covering Protests and Walkouts and Covering DACA.

We are experimenting with the format and would like to think together about ways in which these types of resources can serve you and your students best.  If you have ideas about topics that you would like to see covered or ways in which we can design educational/training resources which would be helpful to your staff and classrooms (including having one of our staff members “Skype” into your class for a guest presentation), please let us know.

SPLC is in growth mode and we look forward to continuing to partner with you and to serve you.  Looking forward to seeing many of you in San Francisco!


Higher Education

Kate Klonowski, MJE
6819 Brookside Road
Independence, OH 44131
H: 216-534-3498

Efforts to increase scholastic media exposure and establishing connections at the university level continue to grow and develop.

My presentation at the American Educational Studies Association (AESA) in Pittsburgh, “Civic Engagement through Collaborative Journalism: A Case Study” (part of a symposium presentation about teens and civic engagement in schools) promoted a healthy discussion among education scholars about the current state of student civic engagement and where additional research might be conducted. I am connected with a number of interested scholars who are engaged in similar work.

Dissertation work continues to progress on my study on voice, power and trust in scholastic journalism production. My committee has come to appreciate the significance of looking deeply at these issues from the perspectives of students, educators and administrators as both practical and foundational. I hope to present on my progress at AEJMC this fall.

Work is also continuing in Ohio for New Voices legislation. The mighty crew at Kent State has been working diligently to pave the way for this important legislation in our state. On a side note, in mid-March, I lobbied in Washington, D.C. for graduate students, but made a plug about the need for stronger civic education and engagement in secondary schools as well as making sure there is continued support for teacher training in journalism and the like. We are also reaching out to state legislators.

I am very excited to see that JEA has partnered with The National Association of Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) and believe continued work and collaboration with their organization is mutually beneficial. The academic research surrounding media literacy is growing by leaps and bounds. JEA will benefit from the exposure to academics, researchers and other nonprofits in the media literacy education field. NAMLE will benefit from our zeal and on-the-ground dedication to youth journalism and expression advocacy. Kudos to Sarah Nichols, MJE, and all involved in making this a reality.

If the board has specific suggestions on where we might reach out beyond where we already have, please be in touch. Thanks!

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