Final details for the 2024 PSPA Student Journalism Contest finals were delivered to all advisers of qualifying students on Monday, March 18. Please click the image below to access the itinerary for Wednesday, April 3, an important adviser to-do list, all contest details and rubrics, and more.
0 Comments
The Pennsylvania School Press Association (PSPA) is proud to announce the 2024 Journalism Teacher of the Year, David Weikert of Northeastern High School.
The PSPA Awards Committee unanimously voted for Mr. Weikert after a thorough review of this year’s nominees. In addition to teaching various certification classes including Linux and computer repair, Mr. Weikert also oversees the video and news media production courses. As evidenced by his devotion to student journalism through his various contributions to state-level organizations and competitions, Mr. Weikert is a pillar for student journalism in Pennsylvania. Mr. Weikert's commitment is clear through the testimonies of both administrators and students acknowledging his exceptional contributions to the student journalism field. "If it had not been for Mr. Weikert’s program, I would not have chosen to go into my major of Broadcast Journalism,” Grace Riek, one of Weikert’s former students, wrote. “His program let me get the hands-on experience that let me realize what I now know is what I want to do for the rest of my life." Mr. Weikert’s impact on alumni from his program has been apparent to his administration and colleagues for some time. “There is a reason that students who come back to NHS to visit after graduation often make it a point to see Mr. Weikert,” noted Mr. Mathew Gay, Weikert’s principal of 15 years. “They recognize his commitment to them and his deep investment in their success.” Mr. Weikert's devotion to his students is evident through his personal reflections on teaching. “I’m here because I want to be here. I want to be someone who inspires students. I want to be someone students and colleagues can depend on…” Weikert wrote. “I want to impact students the way my teachers impacted me: with enthusiasm and energy, with grace and forgiveness, with patience and understanding, for second, third, and fourth chances, and with a ‘never give up’ attitude.” The Pennsylvania School Press Association originated in 1924 and stands as one of the oldest scholastic journalistic organizations in the country. The organization supports K-12 student journalism statewide through journalism competitions, summer critiques, awards and recognition, mentorship for advisers, and other resources. To nominate advisers for the 2025 PSPA Journalism Teacher of the Year, visit the PSPA website to submit applications for any active member of the organization by November 30, 2024. Nominations can be submitted by any teacher, administrator, student, or media professional. The Pennsylvania School Press Association is pleased to announce that Ben Shapiro of Conestoga High School in Berwyn is the 2024 Dr. Jane Blystone Pennsylvania Student Journalist of the Year. "This honor motivates me to continue striving for excellence in journalism, to uncover truths and to shed light on the issues that matter most. I'm grateful for the recognition and inspired to keep pushing boundaries in pursuit of informing and engaging audiences,” Shapiro said. Shapiro is the Editor-in-Chief and a four-year staff member of The Spoke, Conestoga’s student-run newspaper. He previously served as News Editor and Copy Editor. During his time as a student journalist, he has been recognized for his reporting and writing by the Pennsylvania Newsmedia Association Foundation, Quill and Scroll and the Pennsylvania Federation of Press Women. As for his future plans, Shapiro is attending Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in the fall where he will study journalism. In her recommendation letter, broadcast journalism teacher and co-newspaper adviser, Alison Ferriola, says Ben is “the model for student journalism at Conestoga High School,” and co-adviser Laura Howard adds that “he’s constantly searching for the truth both within our school community, as well as our regional community and the world at large. He tackles sensitive topics with grace, while still teaching our readers about themselves.” Student Journalist of the Year candidates submit comprehensive portfolios which are judged on categories of the Journalism Education Association’s curriculum, including News and Reporting, Law and Ethics, Leadership, Photojournalism, Broadcast Journalism, Commitment to Diversity, Web and Social Media, Audience Engagement and Design. A panel of judges evaluates the portfolios and provides specific feedback to the student entrants. Not only is Shapiro a model student journalist at school, he is also an advocate for student press rights. One judge noted “If anyone in this state has been more involved with ethics, law and real news literacy, I need to meet them. From an in-school leader to an outspoken community leader Ben's fight for the rights of High School Journalists is unwavering.” Shapiro will submit his portfolio for national SJOY consideration, where his work will be judged alongside other current winners from across the country. The national winner and runners-up will be announced April 5 at the National High School Journalism Convention in Kansas City. Shapiro will also be honored at the PSPA state finals April 3 at Penn State University, where he will be presented with a $500 scholarship. PSPA also congratulates honorable mentions, Angie Wang of Germantown Academy and Eden Savoy of Berwick High School, with commendations to Tanisha Agrawal of Conestoga High School, Zorian Edwards of Saegertown High School, Ethan Kurtz of Lower Dauphin High School and Vanessa Stauffer of Parkland High School. Dear advisers,
With the first half of the school year now behind us, I wanted to share some information and exciting opportunities with you and your students regarding the weeks and months ahead. PSPA REGIONAL STUDENT JOURNALISM CONTEST (SJC) RESULTS & STATE FINALS In recent weeks, Paul Fantaski (PSPA SJC Chair), emailed results and judges' feedback to advisers from schools who competed in our Fall Regional SJCs. Regional Site Coordinators are currently in the process of compiling students' actual entries from the contests to return to advisers, so students will be able to reference their work when reviewing their feedback. Keep an eye out for those emails in the coming days. Advisers of students who qualified for Finals: We're currently working with Penn State to develop an itinerary for the day, and I will be sharing all of those details with you as soon as they are finalized and available. In the meantime, as I'm aware many of you have begun the planning process for the trip, here's what we know so far: Who: Competing students (and their advisers/chaperones). Each school may bring up to five non-competing guests or students. If you need/would like to bring more than five non-competing guests or students, please notify us as soon as possible. What: 2024 PSPA SJC Finals Where: Penn State University, University Park | HUB-Robeson Center When: Wednesday, April 3 | ~9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Cost: There is no fee for Finals competition. Lunch: On your own. There is a food court in the HUB-Robeson center and a number of dining options along College Ave. within walking distance from campus. We're working on getting some information from Penn State on how to support students who may not have debit cards, since the HUB is all cashless dining. Please stay tuned. I hope that's enough for everyone to process travel requests; however, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me or Paul at any time. If you joined PSPA in the time since our Regionals, we hope to see you at next year's competitions! Be on the lookout for information on that, as well as other PSPA news and offerings, in the coming months. PENNSYLVANIA STUDENT JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR The Pennsylvania Student Journalist of the Year contest is officially open and runs through February 10. Please encourage any outstanding senior you have to apply. The PA winner wins a scholarship and advances to the national competition. If you have any questions, you can contact Cyndi Hyatt, PJOY chair/JEA State Director, a ccmhyatt@verizon.net. CALL FOR STUDENT WORK Scholastic Journalism Week (February 19-23) and Student Press Freedom Day (February 22) are quickly approaching, and the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association (PNA) wants to help us spread the word! Have your students write an opinion piece or produce a broadcast video explaining the importance of student journalism, in celebration of Scholastic Journalism Week and/or Student Press Freedom Day, and send it to me with the subject line "SJW Submission" by February 9 for a chance to be published in a Pennsylvania regional publication! If they publish their work on your school's website, feel free to send the link to the published work. PNA has offered to distribute student work to local media outlets and encourage them to publish these pieces in support/celebration of Scholastic Journalism Week and Student Press Freedom Day. I hope you'll encourage your students to take advantage of this awesome opportunity! Resources:
Sample Columns
That's all for now. If there's any way that PSPA can help you, your students, or your programs in any way, please don't hesitate to reach out. Otherwise, we'll be in touch in the coming weeks and months with further details for advisers of SJC finalists and the latest from PSPA. Until then, be well, everyone! Thanks! Aaron The Pennsylvania School Press Association is proud to announce the state finalists in its 2023-2024 Student Journalism Contests. Over 700 students competed in regional contests at Point Park University, Slippery Rock University, Penn State Behrend, York College, Juniata College, Temple University, Bloomsburg University, and Penn State Berks. The winners will compete for a state championship on April 3, 2024 at Penn State University. Please review the list of winners at the link. Congratulations to all of our participating student journalists and their advisers. We look forward to celebrating with you at the state finals. Watch for more details in early February. Congratulations to Evan Lu, of Conestoga High School, for winning PSPA's Student Journalist of the Year! Check out his impressive portfolio here.
PSPA stands with the efforts of New Voices.
For more information, or to get involved in PA New Voices, reach out to PSPA President Aaron Fitzpatrick at afitzpatrick@freedomarea.org or visit the website at https://newvoicespa.com/ Every school must renew their free PSPA membership to be eligible to compete this Fall. You can renew your membership here.
Additional changes to last year:
Paul Fantaski is the SJC chair and can be contacted with questions at pfantaski@gmail.com For questions about specific events, below is the board member to contact:
Please see the graphic below with more information. We look forward to seeing you all this Fall. Congratulations to the PSPA State Champions from 2023!
New Voices is a nonpartisan, grassroots, student-driven effort to create state-based student free press protections and to prevent retaliation against advisers who stand up for student free press rights. As of today, there are currently New Voices laws in 16 states: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. New legislation is being introduced this year in a number of additional states as well. New Voices has been endorsed by the American Bar Association, the American Society of News Editors, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Student Press Law Center, the Journalism Education Association, National Council of Teachers of English, and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.
For more information, or to get involved, reach out to PSPA President Aaron Fitzpatrick at afitzpatrick@freedomarea.org |
Categories
All
Archives
March 2024
|