PSPA Board Members
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Meghan Adams has co-advised Rocket Media Productions at Slippery Rock Area High School since 2017. Rocket Media Production members were featured in Jostens' nationwide marketing campaign for their new design program and have won numerous awards at the Edinboro journalism competitions each spring. When not advising future journalists, Meghan can be found with a camera in hand wandering around zoos or working as a docent at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh. [Email]
Destiny Beck is an English teacher at Parkland High School and has been working with students at both the middle and high school levels since 2007. She has advised literary magazines for most of her career and currently advises The Trumpet newspaper and the yearbook, Par Key. In order to create a network of journalism students and teachers in Eastern PA, Destiny co-founded the Keystone Student Journalism Coalition. The mission of the KSJC is to enhance the craft of student journalism through teacher workshops and a student conference held annually each spring. Destiny was a recipient of a Celebrate Innovation award, a generous grant offered by the Parkland Education Foundation in 2022 to help fund the students’ endeavors with the KSJC. Beyond the classroom, Destiny enjoys cheering on her twin girls for their various sports and reading books, preferably beachside. [Email] Jane Blystone, Ph. D. (MJE) has served on the PSPA board since 1983. She is the western Pa. Journalism Education Association/ PSPA Mentor. Blystone also served on the JEA board of directors for 9 years, serving teachers in the northeast region. In 2007 she served as local chair for the JEA/NSPA convention in Philadelphia. She has held numerous PSPA offices. During her career she advised newspapers for 21 years, yearbook for 25 and literary magazine for seven. She has received numerous awards from CSPA, JEA, and NCTE for her work with student publications and writing. For 34 years she taught high school English, journalism and served at the secondary reading chair. Prior to her retirement she directed the Mercyhurst University Graduate Studies in Secondary Education program for teacher certification. She continues to adjunct on occasion. [Email] Jessica Brasch, Ed.D. is an English and Communications teacher at Wissahickon High School in Ambler, Montgomery County. She also teaches dual enrollment classes in conjunction with Montgomery County Community College, and is an adjunct professor at Gwynedd Mercy University. She has been teaching Broadcasting, Media and Journalism classes for 16 years. Dr. Brasch is the Advisor for Wissahickon High School’s yearbook (Ilium) and for the WTV Club, which is responsible for creating look live productions of sporting events, other major events at the school like National Honor Society induction and graduation, and producing the daily morning newscast (Wake up Wiss Nation). Prior to her teaching career, Dr. Brasch worked as an assignment editor for WPVI – 6 ABC Philadelphia. While she admits to missing the adrenaline of the news room, she shares it never inspired her the way her students do in and out of the classroom. In her spare time, Dr. Brasch loves to spend time with her family, travel, and read. [Email] Rick Brooks, Creative Design Manager with Jostens, has worked in the field of design and publishing since 1986. He designs, lectures, and does presentations nationally. Numerous Industry, PIA, Columbia, NSPA and Gold Leaf Awards have honored his clients. He received the “Gold Key” in 2000 from the CSPA of Columbia University and the “Keystone Award” and the “Friend of Student Journalism Award” from the PSPA. He earned his CJE certification (Certified Journalism Educator) from the Journalism Education Association in 2013. He was published in Printing Industries of America The Magazine in 2017 for an article on creating award winning creative work. In his personal time, Brooks enjoys fishing, hiking, camping, nature photography, saltwater aquarium fish, watercolor, and community service work. Brooks was selected as a State College PA Volunteer of the year for his work with adults with mental and physical disabilities. [Email] Beth Ann Brown (CJE) has been an English teacher at Northeastern High School since 2005 and the yearbook adviser since 2009. During that time the Daedalus yearbook has received numerous state and national awards including the 2015 Pacemaker Award from NSPA and the 2017 All-State Keystone Championship from PSPA. When not advising, Beth Ann enjoys spending time with family, reading good books, and feeding her competitive spirit by watching and playing sports. [Email] Todd Cammarata is a social studies and journalism teacher at Tyrone Area High School. He has been teaching since 1995 and advising the Tyrone Eagle Eye News since 2012. He also advises the Eagle Yearbook and teaches US civics and government. Cammarata was introduced to journalism and the newspaper business at a young age. His father ran The Union-Press Courier, a weekly newspaper and printing business in his hometown of Patton, PA, where he first learned photography, newswriting and layout. After spending the first fifteen years of his teaching career as strictly a social studies teacher, the past ten as a journalism teacher and seven as yearbook advisor have been a wonderful and career changing experience for him. Cammarata is also the mock trial team advisor at Tyrone, and an assistant girls soccer coach at Bishop Guilfoyle. Cammarata enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, coaching, and photography. [Email] Samantha Corza, an experienced English and journalism teacher, is passionate about guiding and inspiring students at State College Area High School. She has been the dedicated advisor of the State High Publications program, overseeing the production of the Little Lion yearbook, Lions' Digest newspaper, and WSCH broadcast program since 2018. Samantha takes pride in her students' accomplishments, with many earning PSPA regional and state titles and showcasing their work in Jostens' annual best-of-the-best Look Book. Outside the classroom, Samantha loves to embark on new adventures, exploring different cultures through travel and indulging in a wide array of culinary delights. [Email] |
Cyndi Crothers-Hyatt (CJE, PA JEA State Director) served on the PSPA board from 2014-2016 and started a new term in January 2024. Crothers-Hyatt is the former adviser of The Spoke at Conestoga High School in Berwyn, PA. Highlights during her 16-year tenure include two JEA Student Journalists of the Year, NSPA's National News Story of the Year and SPLC's Courage in Student Journalism Award. Crothers-Hyatt is an advocate of First Amendment protections for students. She served on JEA's Student Press Rights Commission and is an active advocate and leader for PA New Voices. In 2017 Crothers-Hyatt was named PSPA's Journalism Teacher of the Year. In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors playing pickleball, paddling down a river or walking her dog in Valley Forge Park. [Email]
Paul Fantaski, a mathematics teacher at Kiski Area High School in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, advised 22 yearbooks throughout his career before retiring from yearbook in 2016. Under his guidance, the Campus yearbook won dozens of national awards, including two CSPA Silver Crowns and 10 PSPA All-State Keystone Championships. He won the 2012 PSPA Journalism Teacher of the Year Award and previously served as PSPA president. Outside of the classroom, he enjoys kayaking and mowing grass at his camp in Smicksburg, Pennsylvania - Amish country. [Email] Aaron Fitzpatrick (MJE) has been teaching print media at Freedom Area High School in Freedom, Pennsylvania, since 2012, and broadcast media since 2015. He also teaches American literature and public speaking College in High School courses through the Community College of Beaver County. He advises the high school newspaper (FHS Press), yearbook (Shawnee), and broadcast (Bulldog Beat) programs. Aaron was selected as a fellow for the Reynolds High School Journalism Institute at Arizona State's Cronkite School in 2013, an intensive two-week experience that he credits as the most valuable professional development experience he has had to this point in his career and a catalyst for his passion for student journalism. He was the 2018 PSPA Journalism Teacher of the Year. In his spare time, Aaron enjoys writing and performing music. [Email] Stacey Hetrick has advised The Panther Press at Saegertown Jr. Sr. HIgh School (Saegertown, Pa.) for the past 17 years. She wrote and received a national grant from the NAAF (Newspaper Association of America Foundation) to revive Saegertown’s journalism program through a partnership with The Meadville Tribune. In 2009, she was named PSPA Journalism Teacher of the Year. Panther Press staff members have won Student Keystone Press Awards and regional PSPA awards. They have also been recognized by the Erie Times-News for best Twitter coverage of local sports in the northwest region. In addition to teaching, Hetrick enjoys birdwatching and being a newshound on Twitter. [Email] John Kupetz is a professor of journalism and English at the College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois. He advises a student newspaper and teaches courses in journalism, literature and film. A former assistant professor/placement director at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, he continues as an adjunct instructor who teaches as a full-time instructor in the Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute in a five-week summer program for high school journalists. He also is a faculty fellow in the university’s Communications Residential College. He has also worked as a reporter and editor for a daily newspaper and a trade magazine. He was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he taught journalism and English at the secondary and college level. He considers Toto to be the hero of “The Wizard of Oz” for pulling the curtain back to expose the truth – just like a good journalist. [Email] Sara Miller has been the K-12 gifted coordinator at Freedom Area School District since 2007. As a journalism teacher, she has advised the newspaper, Bulldog Barker, since 2011, and the yearbook, Reflections, since 2020. Under her direction, the newspaper has won numerous first-place honors from the American Scholastic Press Association and has been expanded to publish both a monthly print edition as well as a website, which has been awarded the SNO Site Excellence badge. Sara co-established Quill & Scroll Honor Society at Freedom Area High School for students in high school media classes in 2017. As a mother of three active boys, Sara is busy outside of school keeping up with their activities, and enjoys flower gardening and scrapbooking in her free time. [Email] Kate Plows teaches photography and media arts at Strath Haven High School in Wallingford, PA. She advises the Haven Yearbook and The Panther Press school newspaper. She has been teaching since 2004 and advising since 2013. [Email] Lisa Sands, a 23-year veteran English teacher, has been serving as the adviser of the Central York High School yearbook since 2007. Her Panther staff has received various state awards over the years and was twice recognized by Jostens to be featured in their annual best-of-the-best Look Book. She now also assists Jostens as a workshop adviser at their annual summer yearbook camp. Her outside passions involve serving as a group fitness instructor and cheering on her daughters in all their various athletic and academic endeavors. [Email] Alexander Strickler is an English teacher at Central York High School. He is the advisor for CTV, the live morning broadcast. He teaches TV Production and Media Literacy, alongside English. [Email] Nate Thompson (MJE) [Email] |
