ASPA’s State Convention Feb. 25-26 on the University of Alabama campus will feature keynote speaker Lars Anderson, the Sports Illustrated motorsports reporter.

Anderson, who also covers college football for the magazine, said he enjoys talking to young people to get them excited about pursuing a career in journalism.

“With all the bleak news about the demise of newspapers and magazines being so prevalent, I want young people to know that there are still very rewarding, exciting, enriching careers in journalism that aren’t going away anytime soon,” Anderson said.

Anderson said it is important

for journalism to remain in our high school and middle school curriculum, even though some schools cut the media classes first in these economic times.

“It’s takes a long time to hone writing and reporting sensibilities, and the sooner you

start the sooner you’ll be able to

make an impact in your community with your work,” Anderson said. “I still believe journalism is one of the most important – and noble – professions today.”

Anderson did not work at his high school newspaper at Lincoln Southeast in Lincoln, Nebraska,

because her wanted to be a lawyer at that time.

“I’m glad I changed my mind and went into writing,” he said

During his senior year at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, Anderson was the sports editor of the Manitou Messenger. That experience helped him get into the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University.

Of the hundreds of stories he has covered, Anderson lists a recent feature he wrote on Cam Newton, the Auburn starting quarterback, as one of his favorites.

“I also once went wild hog hunting in Texas with a few NFL players that turned into a really fun, light piece,” he said, as well as “a piece on the Tulane women’s soccer team in the days after Hurricane Katrina that I found very moving.”

Anderson will speak at 5 p.m. Feb. 25 as the closing keynote speaker for the first day of State

Dr. Jennifer Greer, UA Journalism Department Chair, jdgreer@ua.eduMeredith Cummings, ASPA Director, mccummings1@ua.eduMarie Parsons, Director Emeritus

Sports Illustrated reporter Lars Anderson to headline State Convention in February

ASPA News

A newsletter for media advisers and studentsVol. 23, Issue 2 • Fall/Winter 2010

Online registration for State Convention, onsite

and carry-in competitions is available at

www.aspa.ua.edu.

2009-10 ASPA Officers

President, Erin Coggins (Sparkman)Past President, Katy Burnside (Pelham)Vice President, Holly Michaels (Scottsboro)Secretary, Neena Davis (Huntsville)

For more information on Anderson, or to see articles he has written, visit our Facebook page or our website at aspa.ua.edu.

ASPA News is published by the University of Alabama Department of Journalism

Anderson

ASPA News Vol. 23, Issue 2 • Fall/Winter 2010 Page 2

Location and dateThe State Convention will be held Feb. 25-26 at The University

of Alabama. Registration begins at 8 a.m. Friday. Sessions will run 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with optional night activities. Saturday’s intensive, hands-on sessions will take place at Reese Phifer Hall from 9 a.m. to noon with optional tours in the afternoon. An awards ceremony for state contests and critiques, as well as individual awards, will be held at 5 p.m. Friday on the UA campus. For more details visit www.aspa.ua.edu.

State Convention costs

• $25 for Friday (instructional) and $20 for Saturday’s intensive, hands-on labs• Staffs of 10 or more: $20 per person on Friday• On-site competition: $10 per person• Board members and first-time advisers attend free• Add $25 for ASPA membership (per publication) if not a member.• Late fee of $5 will apply to registration after Feb. 12.

Do you need Convention scholarships?

Scholarships are available, if needed. Advisers may send a letter or e-mail requesting scholarships for students to mccummings1@ua.edu or to Meredith Cummings, ASPA, Box 870172, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 by Feb. 1. Scholarships are provided by the Alabama Press Association Foundation to help students who otherwise might not

aBring your principal for free: Schools are encouraged to invite the principal to attend all or part of the convention. aStudent-led sessions: No adults allowed, student-led sessions on how to work with your publication/broadcast staff (for editors and managers only), and how to make yourself heard in your news-room. aSaturday’s hands-on sessions are set in the UA College of Communication and Information Sciences labs and feature hands-on and individual instruction. We have expanded our Sat-urday offerings this year.aBring your student newspapers, lit mags and yearbooks to share

with other students and advisers! We will have a publication swap table for teachers and students to share their media.aYearbook, printing and online companies have been invited to

share their wares.aOnsite critiques of newspapers, yearbooks and websites will be

offered. Sign up when you check in Friday morning.aMore carry-in contests! We have added more carry-in contest

catgeories. Check online for a list of categories, or simply register online.

This year, by popular demand:

Hotels

Check our website for a list of hotels in the area. Go to www.aspa.ua.edu.

ASPA will collect PennieS (we’ll tAke other money, too!) from eAch School in A conteSt At StAte convention. All money collected will go to the Student PreSS lAw center, which helPS our StudentS And teAch-erS throughout the School yeAr. the School with the moSt money winS A Prize. look for the jAr with your School’S nAme on it when you Arrive.

BRING YOUR PENNIES TO STATE CONVENTION!

aInDesignaFinal Cut ProaiMovieaInterviewingaEditingaOnline writingaFeature writingaNews reportingaAdvertisingaAdvisingaStudent press rightsaSports writingaFinding storiesaDesign for all media

aPoetryaFictionaPhotographyaPutting your publication onlineaIntroduction to college mediaaWriting poetry and fictionaBeefing up the business side of your mediaaTypographyaFeature writingaGraphic artsaPhotoshop aTypography aYearbook trends

aBroadcast writingaMultimedia tricks and tips

... and many more!

ASPA News Vol. 23, Issue 2 • Fall/Winter 2010 Page 3

When ASPA needed me, I committed. Some may say I committed for too long, hav-ing served as the Board of Advisers president for a few years, but I tend to fall hard for things I love.

Now that ASPA is in the capable hands of Meredith Cummings, the organization can go back to doing things the way they used to, and electing a new board of advisers through nominations and a voting process is one of those things.

At the annual Spring Convention in February, we will ask advisers to nominate their fellow advis-ers for the positions of president, vice-president, and secretary. A simple voting process will then take place to elect the new board which will begin serving im-mediately.

We are looking for advisers that can commit 100 percent to serving ASPA. Advising experience or hav-ing served on the board will not be given precedent. We are looking for a diverse group that hail from

different parts of the state, advise different publications, and that will bring a love for scholastic journalism to the table. If you want to get more involved, now is your chance.

Although you do not get any special perks by serving on the board, I will have to say that serving is not a thankless job. Meredith, Dr. Jennifer Greer, and Ma-rie Parsons are very appreciative of

one’s efforts. However, you don’t want the job for the thank-yous. You want to serve to make ASPA an even better organization for educating young journalists.

Sadly, it is time for me to move to the position of past-president. Although I will still serve on the board, I must give up my duties as president to someone else. I want that person to be dedicated, knowledgeable about scholastic journalism, and above all passionate.

So, advisers, start thinking now. Who do you know that will make a great nominee for the board?

Willing to serve? ASPA to elect new board members at State Convention in February

Erin Coggins

Workshop topics for State ConventionSessions will be offered in all media, including multimedia, literary magazine, beginning and advanced newspaper,

beginning and advanced broadcast, yearbook and adviser sessions. Some topics are listed below. A complete schedule will be posted on www. aspa.ua.edu in January. Sessions on Friday, Feb. 25, will be held in Feguson Center and hands-on sessions will be held Saturday, Feb. 26, in Reese Phifer Hall, the College of Communication and Information Sciences.

Attention advisers: There will be a special advisers’ track offered at State Convention open only to advisers and their principals.

If you are an adviser and have an idea for a topic that you would like to see offered for you or your students, or if you would like to present a session please let us know at aspa@ua.edu.

Calling all seniors and advisers: We have $4,000 for budding scholastic journalists

ASPA will give four awards this spring for Alabama high school seniors who work with scholastic media of any type. Seniors can compete to be named overall journalist of the year, the state’s top scholastic feature writer, and the state’s top editorial or opinion writer. Seniors can apply for one, two or three of the awards with a single portfolio. Winners of the three competitions, in addition to receiving $500, will be considered for a $2,500 college scholarship to major in journalism. To be considered for the awards, seniors must have at least a 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale and have participated in high school journalism for at least a year. Applicants may be involved in any media activity – newspapers, yearbooks, literary magazines, other magazines, broadcasting and Web-based journalism.

Award winners will be announced at the ASPA State Convention in Tuscaloosa (Feb. 25-26) and will be invited to the University of Alabama March 3, 2011 to be recognized at the Clarence Cason Awards Banquet. Winning work will be featured on the ASPA website.

The competitions are as follows:

Journalist of the Year This award recognizes the most

outstanding graduating scholastic journalist. Journalists will submit five examples of their best work that demonstrate the quality and diversity of reporting, writing, photography, design or production. The Alabama Journalist of the Year will represent the state in the national Journalism Education Association contest during the spring national JEA/NSPA convention.

Rick Bragg Award for Feature Writing

The award will be given to the senior who has demonstrated excellence in feature writing throughout his or her high-school career. To enter, a student will include at least three examples of feature writing.

Rick Bragg is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his work at The New York Times, and a professor in UA’s Department of Journalism. He is a recipient of the Clarence Cason Award, the Department of Journalism’s annual prize for nonfiction.

Bailey Thomson Award for Editorial Writing

The award will be given to the senior who has demonstrated excellence in editorial or opinion writing. To enter, the student’s portfolio should include at least three examples of editorial or opinion writing. The late Bailey Thomson was a prize-winning editorial writer for

the Mobile Press-Register, and a professor of journalism at UA. Thomson was a recipient of the Clarence Cason Award. The winners of the three awards will compete for the following scholarship:

J.B. Stevenson Scholarship This scholarship honors the late J.B. Stevenson, the son of John Stevenson, publisher and editor of The Randolph Leader in Roanoke, Ala. J.B. Stevenson made a lasting impression on the journalism community while in middle school and high school. The Alabama Press Association Journalism Foundation will award this $2,500 college scholarship to one of the three recipients above. The winner must plan to major in journalism.

How to apply

It’s easy to enter! Applicants submit one portfolio to apply for any or all of the three awards. The portfolio should include a completed entry form, a transcript, the number of work samples indicated above for each award, three letters of recommendation, and a self-analytical evaluation of the student’s “journalistic life,” using his or her most creative form. See full details at www.aspa.ua.edu under the “Contests” tab. The deadline is Jan. 28 for all award entries.

ASPA News Vol. 23, Issue 2 • Fall/Winter 2010 Page 4

ASPA to award four outstanding seniors awards at State Convention

ASPA News Vol. 23, Issue 2 • Fall/Winter 2010 Page 5

ASPA had 475 middle and high school students and their advisers from more than 20 schools attend the workshop sessions in Huntsville, Tuscaloosa, Montgomery and Mobile Sept. 13-17. Local experts rounded out the sessions at each stop around the state, from broadcast to print journalists, poets and magazine editors. ASPA stopped in Mobile for the first time in a decade, and had almost 100 stduents in attendance at that stop. Make plans now for next year’s FRW to be held Sept. 12-16!

Almost 500 students attend Fall Regional Workshops across state

Montgomery Advertiser Publisher Samuel Martin speaks to students in Montgomery.

Students from LAMP school in Montgomery attended FRW.

Mobile Press-Register K-12 education reporter Rena Havner-Philips served as keynote speaker in Mobile.

WAFF-TV anchor Greg Screws served as keynote speaker in Huntsville.

ABC 33/40 Birmingham TV anchor and Tuscaloosa keynote speaker Dave Baird signs an autograph for a student.

Northridge High School students participate in a Tuscaloosa session.

Wayna Polk leads a yearbook session in Tuscaloosa.

The University of AlabamaASPA NewsAlabama Scholastic Press AssociationBox 870172Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487-0172

Nonprofit OrganizationUS Postage PaidTuscaloosa, ALPermit 16

Don’t forget to enter the ASPA contests and critiques!

Deadline for entry is Dec. 15Get feedback from scholastic journalism professionals

on your publication, Web site or broadcast! Visit the “Contests and Critique” section of our website at www.aspa.ua.edu. for more details.

The Newsletter for media advisers and studentsVol. 23, Issue 2 • Fall/Winter 2010

ASPA News