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Established through the efforts of JEA’s Junior High/Middle School Commission, this award encourages junior high/middle school students to continue with journalistic studies in high school. This award will acknowledge and reward the work of junior high/middle school students. One overall winner and up to five runners-up will be selected each year by the members of the Junior High/Middle School Commission or designees of the commission chair.
The applicant must:
- Be in eighth grade (ninth grade for 7-9 middle school programs).
- Be planning to continue the study of and participation in journalism in high school.
- Have been in a junior high/middle school journalism program for at least one year.
- Be a student of a JEA member adviser.
- Submit a portfolio. Limited to one per school.
- Submit the portfolio in an 8-1/2 by 11-inch binder no thicker than one inch. Page protectors are not required, but are suggested.
- Mail the portfolio by the deadline in a padded envelope to the address on the official Aspiring Young Journalist application. Include a self-addressed, padded, stamped envelope large enough to return the portfolio. (Be sure that return postage is sufficient to return the portfolio.)
Winners will be announced at Middle Madness at the spring JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention. They will receive their certificates then. Winners also present at the Sunday morning JEA awards ceremony will be recognized. Winners not in attendance will receive certificates with their returned portfolios.
The applicant must include the following in a portfolio:
- Title page with photo of the applicant.
- Table of Contents.
- Aspiring Young Journalist official application form.
- Letter of introduction from the applicant.
- Resumé. (Suggestions include address, education, journalism experience, extracurricular activities, hobbies/interests, clubs/sports, community service, references)
- One to three letters of recommendation. (One must be written by the publication teacher/adviser. The other two may be written by current or past teachers or community members who know the student [other than the parent].)
- Three to five examples of the applicant’s journalistic work with an explanation of each written by the applicant. Written explanations should include why the student chose the example, what the student did to create the example, what the student learned while creating it, what the student might do differently in creating a similar piece in the future. (For broadcast, submit clips on video with explanations on paper.)
- Writing sample answering the question, “What is the importance and benefit of middle school journalism programs?” This sample is to be double-spaced, 12-point type, no more than 700 words.
Received by March 15.
Contact Anita Wertz at amwertz@jps.net or awertz@stockton.k12.ca.us.
The following categories will be given a score (1-4) based on quality, scope and impact.
1) Skilled and creative use of media.
2) Inquiring mind and investigative persistence.
3) Courageous and responsible handling of issues.
4) Variety of journalistic experiences.
5) Sustained and commendable work with school media.
4 = Exemplary
3 = Excellent
2 = Fair
1 = Adequate
Quality — Does the material presented in this portfolio demonstrate superior quality of work in the category over a period of time?
Scope — Does the material presented in this portfolio demonstrate a wide range of quality work in the category over a period of time?
Impact —Does the material presented in this portfolio document the impact of this student’s journalistic work in the category over a period of time?
JEA Aspiring Young Journalist Award
Attn.: Anita Wertz
Cesar Chavez High School
2929 Windflower Lane
Stockton, CA 95212
2008
Rachel Plumley, Scott Johnson Middle School (McKinney, Texas; Louis Plumley, adviser)
Honorable Mention
Lauren Florence, Young Junior High (Arlington, Texas; Anna Barrett, adviser)
Michael Boulter, Westland Middle School (Bethesda, Md.)
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