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NEWS

EMMAUS HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER DENISE REAMAN RECOGNIZED AS 2020 PENNSYLVANIA JOURNALISM TEACHER OF THE YEAR

3/17/2020

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Pennsylvania School Press Association has chosen Denise Reaman of Emmaus High School as the 2020 state Journalism Teacher of the Year. 

Reaman advises The Stinger student newspaper, where she teaches four levels of journalism as well as ninth-grade English. Since 2009, she has coached a staff of more than 30 editors and writers involved with this award-winning print and online publication. 

Reaman’s students regularly attend PSPA regional events and National High School Journalism Conventions (NHSJC). At the fall 2019 NHSJC, Stinger staff members ranked among the top 10 in the nation for story of the year, feature writing, and editorial cartooning.

Reaman is recognized as a Certified Journalism Educator by the Journalism Education Association. She previously taught and advised journalism at Freedom High School in Bethlehem, PA. 

Prior to her teaching career, she worked as a news and feature reporter for The Morning Call newspaper in Allentown, PA. Her background as a professional journalist affords her the opportunity to share experiences with sound news judgment and reporting in the classroom for best practices.

“Ms. Reaman has inspired me and a number of other students to pursue careers in journalism,” former Stinger editor-in-chief Andrea Klick wrote. “Her immense guidance over the years and commitment to The Stinger has helped me grow as a person and find my passion for journalism.”
Reaman’s own passion for her subject area inspires her colleagues at Emmaus High School. 

“Rarely have I seen an educator so dedicated to the success of her students,” wrote English department chair Diane DiDona. “Generous with her time and expertise, she provides a platform for students to excel and supports them as they learn and grow. She is a person who makes a difference in students’ lives, day after day, year after year, and long after students have departed from Emmaus High School.

For many of Reaman’s students, her excellence in teaching extends beyond the English and journalism curriculum, inspiring them to greater courage and confidence.

“The journalism classroom, room 559, was an outlet for creativity; a place to be oneself — and I quickly acclimated to its loving environment,” former Stinger editor-in-chief Rachel McQuiston wrote. “Because of Ms. Reaman’s drive and motivation, we all felt inspired to produce our best work every time. I feel blessed to have learned from such a strong, confident leader.”

Pennsylvania School Press Association originated in 1925 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.
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To nominate advisers for the 2020-2021 PSPA Journalism Teacher of the Year, visit the PSPA website to submit applications for any active member of the organization by July 31, 2020. Nominations can be submitted by any teacher, administrator, student, or media professional. 

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For more information about Pennsylvania School Press Association, visit www.paschoolpress.org or contact Paul Fantaski at pfantaski@gmail.com.
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PSPA announces 2020 Pennsylvania Student Journalist of the Year

3/12/2020

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Pennsylvania School Press Association is proud to announce that Conestoga High School senior Claire Guo of Berwyn, PA is the 2020 Pennsylvania Student Journalist of the Year (SJOY). Cole Skuse of Freedom Area High School in Freedom, PA is the 2020 Pennsylvania SJOY Runner-Up. 

PSPA also extends commendation to Rylan Bassett of Emmaus High School in Emmaus, PA; Leah McNear of Freedom Area High School; Samuel Shelenberger of Saegertown High School in Saegertown, PA, and Kathleen Taranto of Emmaus High School.

Guo is a four-year staff member of The Spoke, Conestoga High School’s monthly news publication. This year, she serves as co-Editor-in-Chief of The Spoke. She previously served as Opinion Editor and Student Life Editor. In 2018, Guo was selected to be one of 42 students nationwide to participate in J-Camp in Detroit, Michigan, a six-day intensive journalism scholarship program led by professional journalists sponsored by the Asian American Journalists Association. She will attend Yale University in fall 2020.

In her recommendation letter, co-adviser Cyndi Hyatt wrote, “Claire has the tenacity of a pit bull and when an important story is due and obstacles stand in her way, she kicks into Wonder Woman mode digging in to finish and to finish strong.” Co-adviser Susan Gregory agrees. “Because this is a student newspaper, she is mostly self-taught. Claire is motivated and tenacious,” she wrote. “Add intelligence and creativity to the mix, and you have an award-winning student journalist.”

All SJOY candidates assemble digital portfolios that include examples from the eleven categories of the Journalism Education Association’s curriculum. Judges provide specific feedback on candidates' portfolios. One judge, upon review of Guo's extensive portfolio, noted, “An already-strong publication has helped Claire to grow into herself, while she has made outstanding contributions to make that publication even stronger. This portfolio was a joy to review, and could be used as a model of how to celebrate student journalism.”

Guo’s portfolio moves on to national SJOY consideration, where her work will be judged alongside 2019 SJOY winners from other states. The national winner and runners-up will be announced at the National High School Journalism Convention, currently scheduled in Nashville, TN from April 16-18.

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​Runner-up Cole Skuse has been a member of the Print Media Workshop at Freedom Area High School since 2017 for the last three years, and currently serves as both Editor-in-Chief of the Shawnee Yearbook, News Editor of FHS Press, and Copy Editor and Business Manager for both publications. He is also part of the Broadcast Media Workshop, where he anchors and helps to produce Bulldog Beat.

“All the administrators in our district can attest to both the challenge and the honor of a Cole Skuse interview,” Freedom Area High School Principal William Deal wrote. “Cole comes to an interview with hard-hitting questions and thorough research. He is willing to call out inconsistencies and obfuscation. He will not shy away from a controversial topic. Instead, he seeks to report facts from all sides of issues and provides information to our school stakeholders to help them make educated and informed decisions.”

​The Pennsylvania Student Journalist of the Year award was named for Dr. Jane Blystone in 2011, and includes a $500 scholarship for the winner, as well as $100 awards for runners-up. Competition standards and rubrics align with the Journalism Education Association's Student Journalist of the Year competition. The annual competition is open to senior student journalists.

​Please visit the JEA SJOY page for information about preparing a portfolio. Sample portfolios from last year's state winners are posted on JEA's site. Portfolios for the 2021 Student Journalist of the Year will be due in early spring 2021.
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PSPA cancels 2020 Student Journalism Competition Finals at Penn State University

3/9/2020

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The Bad News: With the spread of the coronavirus impacting many schools and communities throughout Pennsylvania, the PSPA Board and Penn State officials determined that our safest course of action is to cancel the in-person PSPA State Finals event, previously scheduled for March 25. The health and safety of our students and advisers comes first. We’ll regret missing this day of competition and learning in 2020.

The Good News: Our PSPA board is working on a plan that will still allow our student finalists to compete for the state championships. We are meeting again next week to review statewide coronavirus impact and to keep developing our competition plans. Our board knows that it is important to establish a fair timeline for a remote finals competition. Many of these details are contingent on how this situation evolves over the next few days. We will contact the advisers of student finalists with some updated information by Friday, March 20

Until then, we’d love to hear from you. Our board had a lively discussion at tonight’s meeting about all the ways that coronavirus impacts our schools. If there is information that you would like us to know as we develop these plans, please reach out. And if your students publish journalism about the evolving coronavirus situation in your community, please send it our way—we’d love to feature some of these stories on our social channels.

We will get this done... for the kids. Stay tuned, and stay safe.

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ABOUT PSPA
The mission of the Pennsylvania School Press Association is to promote excellence and responsibility in scholastic journalism through developing students who possess sound journalism skills, demonstrate ethical decision making and recognize, uphold, and advocate First Amendment rights through responsible citizenship and informed media consumption.
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Aaron Fitzpatrick - PSPA President

afitzpatrick@freedomarea.org

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P.O. Box 385
​Manchester, PA 17345
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