taje upfront newsletter
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December, 2008TRANSCRIPT
UpfrontTAJE
P.O. Box 5554Austin, TX
78763-5554taje.org
Texas Association of Journalism Educators December 2008
Lori HerbstPresident
972-539-1591, ext. [email protected]
Sheryl FloydPresident-Elect512-594-0500
Lisa Van EttaSecretary
Cindy BerryTreasurer
940-627-6495cindy.berry@
decatur.esc11.net
Susan DuncanState Director
903-295-5031, ext. 265
Pat GathrightConvention Director
210-325-7793pgathright@
yahoo.com
Brenda SlattonAssistant
Convention Director210-442-0300, ext. 350
Sue JettAssistant
Convention Director210-442-0800, ext. 262
Peggy MillerPast President281-498-8110,
ext. 2460Peggy.Miller@
aliefisd.net
Rhonda MooreExecutive Director
Everything is bigger and better in Texas. At least that is what the Journalism Education Association and the National Scholastic Press Association hope since they have select-ed San Antonio as the location for the 2012 fall convention.
“We’re really ex-cited to come to San Antonio,” Logan Ai-mone, NSPA director said. “We planned this far out because the city is such a popular desti-nation, and we wanted to lock in good rates for our attendees.”
Finding a city for the convention is not an easy task because the attendance at national conventions has grown so large, from 1,830 convention goers in 1990 to 5,031 in St. Louis in November 2008. Finding a city with enough hotel and conference space can be a problem. The last convention held in Texas drew 5,278 people to Dallas in 2002. That puts Dallas in the top three in convention attendance.
Attending a national convention can have a great impact on student journalists. The TAJE board discussed that many Texas journalism students might not ever get to travel to a na-
tional convention out of state, so bringing the national conven-tion to us in 2012 made sense.
“All you have to do is read the evalua-tions from any JEA/NSPA convention to know the positive ef-fect the experience has on student journal-ists and their staffs,” JEA executive director Linda Puntney said. “Testimonials from ad-visers cite the student networking, bonding within the staff and the amazing instructional sessions as reasons to make the conventions a must-attend event
with students. In St. Louis more than 1,000 students participated in Swap Shop which puts students of like staffs but from different schools together to exchange publications and talk about issues facing their staffs. It was so rewarding to walk through the room and hear the constructive conversations that were taking place.”
San Antonio will be a great location, as Texas advisers know from attending the TAJE conven-tions held there each fall. The Riverwalk makes San Antonio a unique city that we can share with those from other states.
“San Antonio is a great venue for the National
2009 Fall Washington, D.C. (Nov. 12-15) Spring Phoenix (April 16-19)
2010 Spring Portland (April 15-18) Fall Kansas City (Nov. 11-14)
2011 Spring TBA Fall Minneapolis (Nov. 18-21)
2012Spring TBA Fall San Antonio (Nov. 15-18)
Upcoming JEA/NSPA Conventions
Inside
Turn to page 3 for Fall Fiesta convention results
Susan DuncanPine Tree High SchoolTAJE State Director
JEA on the way with NSPANational convention to be held in San Antonio in 2012
Continued on page 7
2 Texas Association of Journalism Educators December 2008
It’s that time again—time for TAJE to get together a fresh new slate of nominees for upcoming officer elections. If you have been a member of TAJE for even a few years, you have prob-ably heard the spiel about why you should consider running for office, so I’m not going to preach, beg or nag. What I am going to do is to give you my list of selfish reasons why being a member of the TAJE board has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in my career.
To start, let me give you some background. I have been a publications adviser for 21 years now. For the first five of those years, I was pretty clue-less. Nobody ever told me about TAJE or ILPC or JEA or any of those other alphabet soup concoctions. I was just putting one foot in front of the other, doing my best, pretty much on my own in this job. When I discovered that there was help out there for people like me, a support group of like-minded zealots, I jumped on board. Slowly, I began to get a grip on this job and to feel like I was starting to truly help my students become better journalists.
Then, my counterpart at McKinney High School suggested I run for TAJE office. Initially, I balked. I believed my-self to be totally unqualified. I wasn’t some Super Adviser like her and the others I heralded. I was just some joker plugging away, and I really didn’t think I had much to offer other journalism teachers. But I shrugged off my doubts, put my name on the slate for secretary and frighteningly found myself elected for the 2001-02 school year. I served as secretary for four years and enjoyed the role so much that I ran for president elect in 2005. Little did I know the president would step down soon after, and I took over the esteemed role, which I have been plugging away at like that same old joker for going on four years.
I am still not qualified for the office
in any special way except my willing-ness to serve. I still don’t know as much as those great journalism teachers whom I still idolize. But I will say I know a lot more now than I would have without
being a member of the board. And it has been tremendous fun, without costing me an excess of time or stress. All this is to say that if I can do it,
trust me, you can too. And here are my totally selfish, self-centered reasons why I am glad I did.
• I am well fed. The scales prove it. Future officers may not be fed to quite the level of quality once my predecessor Peggy Miller leaves the board (I don’t cook, but I buy good stuff), but they will still eat their fill at our board meetings and retreats. We do actually get a great deal of work done, but we simply find we do it better on a full stomach. If you like to eat, the TAJE board is the place for you.• I feel as if I am giv-ing back. That may not sound selfish, but it is. When we give something, we feel good about ourselves. As I said before, being a TAJE member made me an exponentially better teacher, and that gave me self-confidence and self-esteem in my job. It makes me feel good to do some of the work that allows other teachers to find that same help.• It makes me look good to my students. They think I’m pretty important when they see me handing out certificates at the convention awards ceremony. I let them keep thinking that. Being a board member has given me some credibility in their eyes. I guess they believe you have to know what you’re doing to get elected, and I say nothing to dispel that notion.
• I have learned so much. More than I could have dreamt, in fact. Being a board member has given me access to some of the best minds in the field, those who produce the best publications in the state and in the nation. When I am holed up in my little neck of the woods, I don’t get that kind of access, and I don’t grow as a teacher nearly as much as I do when I allow myself to pick the brains of those who know what they’re doing. As the saying goes, if I have seen further, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants. I am so proud of the journalism teachers in Texas, and being on the TAJE board has helped me meet more of them and learn from every one I meet.• I have enjoyed the friendships tre-mendously. My final selfish confession is that the women and men I have worked with on the TAJE board have come to mean so much to me. As a support group, they are unparalleled. The simple things like a silly stuffed dinosaur or a hand
on my shoulder when I am facing a difficult time have more than made up for any investment of time I have put into the office. And they make me laugh. Who could have predicted when I first ran for office
that I would be getting a lesson on how to….um…urinate off the side of a car? You just can’t beat that kind of fun.
All that being said, if you are one of the lucky, smart ones out there consider-ing putting your name on the slate, I hope you get elected—if not this time, then next time you run. Keep trying. There is a time for all of us to make our contribu-tions. If yours starts with the 2009-2010 school year, then I will be lucky enough to work with you as I serve my two years in the role of past president. I am truly looking forward to it.
Be selfish - run for TAJE officeNumerous benefits await those elected to executive board
From the President
Lori HerbstFlower Mound Marcus High School
TAJE President
Who could have predicted
when I first ran for office
that I would be getting a
lesson on how to….um…
“ “
December 2008 Texas Association of Journalism Educators 3
Marcus, Westlake high schools tie for sweepstakes at Fall Fiesta convention
Marcus High School of Flower Mound and Westlake High School of Austin both claimed the Sweepstakes plaque at the Fall Fiesta con-vention Oct. 27 in San An-tonio. Each school earned enough points through contest wins to tie for first place.
The sweepstakes and Best of Show winners are as fol-lows.Sweepstakes
Marcus High SchoolFlower MoundWestlake High SchoolAustin
2nd Place Sweepstakes
High School3rd Place Sweepstakes
High SchoolNewspaper Best of Show
Small SchoolsBest of Show
The ShieldMcCallum High SchoolAustin
2nd PlaceThe ChronicleRider High SchoolWichita Falls
3rd PlaceThe CorralBig Springs High School
Honorable MentionThe PrideClaudia Taylor Johnson HSSan Antonio
Medium SchoolsBest of Show
The FeatherdusterWestlake High SchoolAustin
2nd PlaceThe ConnectionConnally High SchoolPflugerville
3rd PlacePanther Prowler
Pflugerville High SchoolHonorable Mention
The ManestreamGrapevine High SchoolThe RiderLegacy High SchoolArlington
Large SchoolsBest of Show
The MarqueeMarcus High SchoolFlower Mound
2nd PlaceWingspanCypress Falls High School
3rd PlaceFarmers’ HarvestLewisville High School
Honorable MentionThe PeregrineJersey Village High School
Yearbook Best of ShowSmall Schools
Best of ShowReflectionsMcKinney North HS
2nd PlaceThe RaiderSH Rider High SchoolWichita Falls
3rd PlaceThe KnightMcCallum High SchoolAustin
Honorable MentionCatamountCrosby High School
Medium SchoolsBest of Show
El PaisanoWestlake High SchoolAustin
2nd PlaceGovernorConnally High SchoolPflugerville
3rd PlaceThe MustangGrapevine High School
Honorable MentionHornetEast Central High School
San AntonioLarge Schools
Best of ShowThe LionMcKinney High School
2nd PlaceThe MarauderMarcus High SchoolFlower Mound
3rd PlaceRegaliaRonald Reagan HSSan Antonio
Best of all
Honorable MentionGolden EagleCypress Falls High School
Literary MagazinesBest of Show
DystopicMarcus High SchoolFlower MoundA complete list of individ-
ual winners can be found on the TAJE Web site, taje.org.
To see more photos, turn to page 8.
This photo, taken by Chelsea Ruffino of Cypress Falls High School, won Best of Show in the on-site photography competition at the Fall Fiesta convention in San Antonio Oct. 27.
JEA High School Journalist of the Year Competition Guidelines
Qualifications1. Be a graduating senior.2. Be planning to study journalism in college and to pursue a journalism career.3. Have at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale.4. Have participated in high school journalism for at least two years.5. Submit examples of work showing one or more of the following charac-teristics:a. Skilled and creative use of media content - writing, production, photog-raphy, etc.b. Inquiring mind and investigative persistence resulting in in-depth study or studies of issues important to the local high school audience, high school students in general or society.c. Courageous and responsible han-dling of responsible issues - local or
societal - despite threat or imposure of censorship.d. Variety of journalistic experiences, each handled in quality manner - news-paper, yearbook, broadcast, etc.e. Sustained and commendable work with community media.Procedure for NominationNominee1. Complete the official entry form.2. Write a self-analytical evaluation of your “journalistic life” using your most creative form.3. Compile a portfolio of your work to support the characteristic(s) listed un-der number five of Qualifications (see Preparing Your Portfolio).4. Secure an official copy of your tran-script.5. Give these to your adviser.
6. Enclose a self-addressed, padded, stamped envelope large enough to hold your portfolio if you want it returned.Adviser1. Help the student secure three or four letters of recommendation from your-self, other teachers who know his or her leadership and journalistic abilities and practitioners with whom he/she has worked. A letter from the principal is desirable but not absolutely necessary.2. Collect from the nominee the entry form, self-evaluation and portfolio.3 . Mail the entire package by Feb. 15, 2009 to:Susan DuncanPine Tree High SchoolPO Box 5878 (U.S. Post Office)704 Birch (UPS, Fed-Ex)Longview, TX 75608
1. Entry material should be inserted in no more than 18 plastic sleeves with entries on each side so that the total comes to no more than 36 pages.2. The pages should be inserted into a ring note-book.3. Enclose a self-analytical evaluation of your journal-istic life using your most creative form. Some ideas to get you started on the self-evaluation: How do you feel about journalism? How did you get started in journalism? What have you had to go through to achieve? What have you contributed to journalism? What are your journalism
Preparing your portfolio for competitionversity of reporting, writing, photography, design, etc. (Do not submit everything ever produced.) Date, name of publication and relevance should be on the page with each sample.7. Include samples showing one or more of the character-istics listed in number five of Qualifications. Group them according to what they rep-resent, and these groupings should be labeled.8. At least one issue of your newspaper or magazine or photocopies of relevant spreads from your yearbook (not the entire book) should be enclosed so that the judges can see the context of the en-trant’s work. Audio and/or
plans for the future? The eval-uation should be long enough for the judges to reach a deci-sion as to your creative quali-fications and short enough not to be redundant.4. Three or four letters of recommendation (adviser, teacher, professional journal-ist, employer or principal) are typically sufficient.5. An official copy of the student’s transcript must be enclosed. The student should be a graduating senior plan-ning to major in journalism in college and have at least a 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. 6. Samples of work should be carefully selected to show the entrant’s quality and di-
video tapes should accom-pany an entry that focuses on broadcast work.9. Photocopies of letters, clippings and art are ac-ceptable. Original prints or photographs should accompany entries based on published pictures.10. A self-addressed, pad-ded envelope large enough to hold the entry and bear-ing enough postage to cover the cost of mailing should be included if the entrant wants it returned. TAJE and JEA are not re-sponsible for portfolios not accompanied by return en-velopes nor for portfolios lost in transit whether by person or by mail.
4 Texas Association of Journalism Educators December 2008
December 2008 Texas Association of Journalism Educators 5
PLEASE TYPE
Name
Home address
City State ZIP
Phone
Parent(s)/Guardian(s) name
School
School Address
City State ZIP
Adviser Phone
Principal Phone
Hometown media
Address
City State ZIP
How long have you been involved in journalism?
n 1 year n 2 years n 3 years n 4 years n More than 4 years
Publication Name/Type Position
From to
From to
From to
From to
From to
Has any of your work been cited by the media? n Yes n No
If yes, please use separate sheet to explain.
Do you plan to enroll this year in a university journalism degree program? n Yes n No What
aspect of journalism and mass communication is your career goal?
List colleges you are considering in order of preferenceIf you have definitely decided which school
you will attend, list only that college.
1. n Accepted
2. n Accepted
3. n Accepted
DEADLINE: Postmarked by Feb. 15, 2009.
Official Entry FormJEA High School Journalist of the Year
CHECKLISTn Entry formn Official tran-
scriptn Self-analytical
explanation of your “journalistic life”
n An action photo of you doing something “jour-nalistic”
n 3 or 4 letters of recommenda-tion
n Portfolio in an 8-1/2 x 11” three-ring binder show-ing examples of your best published or broadcast work
n One issue of your newspaper or magazine or photo copies of relevant year-book spreads (not the entire book)
n Deadline: Feb. 15, 2009
postmark. Mail to:
Susan Duncan Pine Tree HS PO Box 5878
(US Post Office) 704 Birch (UPS,
Fed-Ex) Longview, TX
75608
Applicants will have their port-folios forwarded to the scholar-ship competition. They should in-clude two large, padded enve-lopes, one self-addressed and one addressed to the scholarship chairman:Cindy BerryDecatur HS750 E. Eagle Summit DriveDecatur, TX 76234
6 Texas Association of Journalism Educators December 2008
Administrator of the Year Nomination Form NOMINEE:
Name: Position:
School:
Address:
Phone:
Number of years in current position:
Professional organization memberships/offices nominee has held:
What awards/honors has the nominee won?
What is the nominee’s position on prior review and/or censorship?
Nominated by:
Name/Mailing address of local newspaper:
Each year TAJE honors a school ad-ministrator for his/
her support of journalism in the junior/high school
curriculum. The winner of this year’s award will receive a
plaque in April during the awards
ceremony at the ILPC convention in Austin.
Entries must be postmarked
no later than Feb. 14.
Complete nominationshould include
a nomination formand a letter of
recommendationfrom the adviser.
Entries must be postmarked by
FEB. 14. Send entries to:
Sheryl Floyd18913 Hilltop Canyon Cove
Pflugerville, TX 78660
December 2008 Texas Association of Journalism Educators 7
Conventionfinancial report
High School Journalism Convention,” Puntney said. “The Riverwalk and the Alamo are outside our front door and are ideal for educational and rec-reational activities. I love San Antonio because of the strong Southwest and European flavor. It’s almost like being in another country.”
The conference will be held at a pair of Marriott hotels -- the Rivercenter and Riverwalk -- as well as at the convention center, which is located across the street. According to Aimone, plenty of other hotels are nearby for overflow needs.
“Everything is located on the won-derful San Antonio River Walk,” Ai-mone said, “and that will be a great opportunity for students and advisers to enjoy meals, shopping and tourism.”
With the economic downturn, the number of students attending conven-tions could drop although Aimone said that Texas has always had “really strong attendance.”
“It’s hard to know what our conven-
tions will look like in four years, but we are ready for a variety of situations,” Aimone said. “We know this will be a success -- due in large part to the enthu-siasm of the Texas advisers, especially our friends in the San Antonio area who we hope will serve on our local commit-tee. We also appreciate the sacrifice the Texas state association makes in hosting the convention, and we know this will be worth it.”
As the hosting organization, TAJE will need help from its membership to make the event a success.
“Texas advisers can spread the word about the convention coming to San Antonio and what a great convention location the city is,” Puntney said. “They can also join the local commit-tee when Texas state leaders are ready to form it. JEA and NSPA will visit the site and meet with the local committee about a year out from the convention, but letting people know now that you are interested in helping would be a good idea.”
Continued from page 1
JEA/NSPA to bringnational conventionto San Antonio in 2012 Registration
# of students 786# of advisers 66# of speakers 35
Due for registration $23,975Paid 23,521Owed 454
MembershipTAJE membership $960Paid 900Owed 60
JEA membership $1400Paid 1400Owed 0
ATPI membership $270Paid 270Owed 0
ContestsWrite-offs $1810Paid 1770Owed 40
Photo/video contests $2050Paid 2040Owed 10
Carry-in contests $1060Paid 1055Owed 5
Breakfast with a ProDue $1168Paid 1168Owed 0
Best of ShowDue $790Paid 790Owed 0
On-Site CritiquesDue $915Paid 915Owed 0
Final Summary Total due $35,328 Total paid 34,759 Still owed 569
Association of Texas Photography Instructors
Winter Conference
For more information, contact Mark Murray at [email protected]
or go to www.atpi.org.
Feb. 13-15University of Texas
at Arlington
8 Texas Association of Journalism Educators December 2008
picture perfectThese photos won Superior ratings at the Fall Fiesta Convention
Alex Camargo, Highlands HS
Isabelle Erickson, Cy-Fair HS
Left: Rachel Saker, Akins HS
Ashley Reynal, Cinco Ranch HS
Right: Ginny Ryan, Sherman HS
Alexa Perez, Claudia Taylor Johnson HS
Kendall Popelsky, Cy-Falls HS
Ailina Mayer, Westlake HS
December 2008 Texas Association of Journalism Educators 9
New officers to be elected in February
TAJE honors Trailblazers, Friends of Journalismat Fall Fiesta convention
In Brief
Randy Vonderheid, former Interscholastic League Press Con-ference director, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the JEA/NSPA national conven-tion in St. Louis in November.
The award recognizes retired advisers who have made sig-nificant contributions to scholastic journalism.
“Randy is not a self-promoter, unless you consider being a nice guy and one heck of a journal-ism teacher self-promotion,” said Bobby Hawthorne, former UIL Academic Director. “But those of us who have closely worked with him over the years know how important he’s been to scholastic journalism—in Texas and across the nation.”
Vonderheid receivesJEA award
New officers for 2009-011 will be elected in February.
The offices include president-elect, secretary, treasurer and state director. Each term is two years, but the president-elect serves two years as president and two more years as past president after two years as president-elect.
Anyone interested in running for regional representative should contact TAJE President-Elect Sheryl Floyd at [email protected] by Dec. 12.
TAJE honored four individuals at the advisers’ luncheon during the Fall Fiesta convention.
Chet Hunt and Judy Babb both re-ceived Trailblazer Awards.
Babb is a former high school and yearbook adviser.
“Judy Babb is the epitome of a trail-blazer,” ILPC Director Jeanne Acton said. “Judy set the standard for year-books more than 20 years ago. She was one of the first Texas advisers to chal-lenge her administration and fought diligently for students’ First Amend-ment rights. She continued her work into the college arena where again she pushed the students to their best work.”
Burges High School adviser Pat Monroe said she met Babb at a summer workshop several years ago.
“It was my first year, and I was so amazed at her energy and positive at-titude with advisers and students,” Monroe said. “Nineteen years later, I still find her to be an amazing person. Her wealth of talent and knowledge about the wacky world of high school journalism is immeasurable. She de-serves all of the accolades that come her way.
Hunt retired as the chair of the jour-nalism department at San Antonio Col-lege, where he was the adviser to The Ranger newspaper and The Fourth Write magazine. He formerly taught at Lee High School in San Antonio where he advised the newspaper and year-book. He also started a daily newspa-per there.
“At SAC not only did he advise one of the finest community college newspaper in the country but he also inspired many young journalist to continue with careers in all aspect of journalism,” TAJE convention Pat Gathright said. “All of the high school
journalism teachers in San Antonio did not hesitate to encourage their students to go to SAC because they knew their students would be in good hands in a department lead by Chet Hunt.”
Craig Coyle and Macarena Her-nandez received Friend of Journalism Awards.
Coyle currently teaches at Martin High School. He has taught photogra-phy for over 20 years in the Arlington school district.
“Over the years, Craig has been an integral part of the summer work-shop circuit around the state, having taught for [several] workshop direc-tors,” ATPI Director Mark Murray said. “Each of them has recognized not only the knowledge that he is able to bring to photojournalism students and teach-ers, but also his good-natured, easy go-ing attitude that makes it a pleasure to work with him.”
Jake Palenske, owner of Ncompass Media, said Coyle represents Texas well.
“I can’t think of another fellow Kan-san that represents all that is Texas bet-ter than Craig,” Palenske said. “He’s got a big personality supported by an even bigger heart, and he’s never met a stranger. Craig would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it, and he’d ask everyone around him to give you their shirts, too. He’s as generous with his time as he is with his humor, and scholastic journalism in Texas wouldn’t be the same without him.”
Hernandez is a former reporter for the Dallas Morning News. When she was in Dallas, she was an invaluable source for the Thomas Jefferson High School journalism staff, according to adviser Angela Macias. At the awards ceremony, Macias said Hernandez vol-unteered her time and talent to help the journalism program at Jefferson.