Workshop opportunity for editorial cartoonists

Just passing this along from the American University Discover the World of Communication Summer Program:

(At the program) students will work with professional editorial cartoonists on how to capture the essence of an issue or event in a single drawing. The course will introduce beginners to world of editorial cartooning, while giving experienced cartoonists a chance to hone their skills. Partial to full tuition scholarships will be available to the top high school editorial cartoonists.

Students wishing to be selected for a partial to full tuition scholarship should send 3 editorial cartoons or drawings, or a paragraph describing his/her interest in learning how to become an editorial cartoonist by May 1 to:

Discover the World of Communication
American University
4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20016

Attn: Sarah Menke-Fish, Assistant Professor and Director

Please include your name, age, high school and home phone number. Winners will be notified no later than May 5, 2008. Check out the website at soc.american.edu/highschool.html for additional courses.

Another successful conference in the books

Thank you to everyone who attended the 2008 WJEA State Conference at Auburn High School on Saturday. The conference was a huge success, as we had more than 350 students and nearly 40 advisers attend.

If you missed out, you can catch up on all of the award winners here. Special congratulations to our major award winners.

STUDENT AWARDS

• Future Journalist of the Year: Taylor Buck, Peninsula HS (Gig Harbor)
• Lu Flannery Outstanding Journalist: Emily Rome, Charles Wright Academy (Tacoma)
• Newspaper Best of Show: JagWire, Emerald Ridge HS (South Hill)
• Newsmagazine Best of Show: The Commoner, Gov. John R. Rogers HS (Puyallup)
• Yearbook Best of Show: The Thunderbolt, Todd Beamer HS (Federal Way)
  

ADVISER AWARDS

• Adviser of the Year: Kay Locey, Gov. John R. Rogers HS (Puyallup)
• Fern Valentine Freedom of Expression Award: Jeff Nusser, Wenatchee HS
• Special Recognition awards: Brian Schraum and Fern Valentine
• Adviser Scholarship awards: Stephanie Keagle, Auburn Mountainview HS (Auburn), and Michelle Hornaday, Edmonds-Woodway HS (Edmonds)

Thanks again to all who participated and attended! And don't forget to mark your calendars for the adviser and student workshops at Central Washington University.

Conference just three days away; presenter lineup finalized

The 2008 WJEA state conference at Auburn High School is now just three days away, and we've finalized the presenter lineup.

If you just can't wait until Saturday to get your presenter program, you can get a sneak peak at this Google spreadsheet. I think it's a tremendous lineup that is going to give all students a wide variety of learning opportunities. This is in addition to the contests in the morning and the keynote by the Seattle P-I's Monica Guzman. Exciting stuff!

Hopefully we'll see you all there.

WJEA state conference deadline just a few days away!

Don't miss out on what is shaping to be one of the very best WJEA state conferences yet.

The event is on March 15 at Auburn High School, and is going to feature write-off competitions, a keynote from Seattle Post-Intelligencer blogger Monica Guzman, presentations by advisers and industry professionals that will give you knowledge you can take with you to make your publication immediately better, and an awards ceremony that will celebrate the accomplishments of student journalists around the state.

Still not convinced? Check out some of the presenters we've got lined up for the day:

• Chris Pirello, podcaster extraordinaire from the University of Washington
• Mike Sando, football writer for ESPN.com
• Brian Schraum, instigator of the student press legislation in Washington and recent graduate of Washington State University
• Kathy Schrier, WJEA president
• Julie Simon, Graphics and Design Editor for the Seattle P-I
• David Montesino, Assistant Managing Editor for Visuals at The News Tribune
• Judith Endejan, lawyer for Graham and Dunn speaking on reporter privilege
• Patrick O'Callahan, chief editorial writer for The News Tribune
• Mike McLaughlin, desk editor at the Seattle P-I
  
• Dan Hardebeck, 2007 WJEA adviser of the year from Timberline HS
• Scott Bush, freelance designer
• Students such as Matt Anderson, editor-in-chief of the Puyallup HS Viking Vanguard, and the editorial board of JagWire newsmagazine at Emerald Ridge HS.
  
• And me! (Jeff Nusser, adviser at Wenatchee HS)

And trust me when I tell you more are on the way. What are you waiting for? Download your registration materials here. Or, if you like, you can do it all online now! Check it out at wjea.net.

WJEA state conference now less than four weeks away

The 2008 WJEA state conference featuring keynote speaker Monica Guzman of the Seattle P-I is now less than four weeks away. You can download registration materials here for a great day of competing and learning on March 15 at Auburn High School.

Find more information at wjea.net.

Indiana in the spotlight again - and not the good kind of spotlight

Some of you might remember the plight of Amy Sorrell and her staff at Woodlan Junior-Senior High School in Indiana last year. Well, another case of censorship has reared its head in that state about 150 miles away in Franklin.

The staff of the Franklin Community High School student newspaper The Electron -- an uncensored open public forum for 25 years -- wrote a series of articles in a two-page spread on safe sex and sexually transmitted diseases. The principal, Craig McCaffrey, disagreed with the way the articles were written and felt there should have been more of an emphasis on abstinence. Now he wants prior review.

You can read all the details over at J-Ideas, which has reprinted an article from the local newspaper on its Web site. (Update: Here is the story from today's Indianapolis Star.) Essentially, the principal would like the ability to censor the publication because he disagreed with the content, something that is not protected even under the Hazelwood decision.

How can you make your voice heard?

If you would like to reach McCaffrey to voice your concerns about his unfounded censorship, you can reach him via e-mail here. If you would like to send a note of support to the adviser of The Electron or her staff, you can reach Carmen Mann-Lynch here. If you would like to contact the Franklin Community School Corporation's school board, you can find all five members' e-mail addresses here.

Reminder: Deadlines loom

Don't forget, there are some deadlines coming up for journalism-related recognitions.

First, the deadline to apply for WJEA scholarships is Friday. Most of the awards require some amount of preparation, so if a student is planning on applying for one, they need to get on it.

Second, the deadline for NSPA Honor Roll applications is Friday as well. Any student who has been on the staff of an NSPA member publication for at least a year and has a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or greater is eligible. Seniors who apply and submit some additional information are eligible for $1,000 scholarships.

More words of encouragement

Although he elected not to hold a committee hearing on Senate Bill 6449, Sen. Adam Kline said that he still firmly believes in the mission of the bill and believes it has value (via J-Ideas):

"Freedom breeds responsibility," Kline said. "Yes, (passing the bill) is a much needed improvement--a statement of trust."

Kline also said there is nothing in the bill that he would change, and he will persist at supporting the bill, explaining, "we adults are not good at letting go."

Sen. Joe McDermott, the bill's primary sponsor, also elaborated on his planned reintroduction of the bill in 2009.

"I do believe that awareness of student press rights is important and putting this bill forward opens the communication line to create a bill that can gain agreement," McDermott said. "In the short term, I believe some people are concerned that, on rare occasion, instruction will be interrupted when student journalists touch a nerve in their community -- something I know as a legislator the press can do at times."