CSMA Adviser Update

CSMA announced that Avery Doan, a senior at Eagle Valley HS in Gypsum, is the 2019 Eric Benson Scholarship winner. This is a one-time $1,000 scholarship funded by Sue and Bruce Benson in honor of their son.

According to selection committee member Sheila Jones, Avery’s portfolio offered a well-rounded picture of her journalistic self. “She reveals the range of her abilities from serious to light-hearted in her selection of topics to investigate and explore. She demonstrates strong skills in various media from print journalism writing, to broadcast journalism, to podcasts. Then she shows her more creative film making side with two samples from EVHS’ annual film festival.”

Regardless of what media she chooses, Jones went on to write, her work quality is consistently high. “In particular, I applaud how well she establishes focus and purpose early in her work, integrates strong research and/or interviews with expert and relevant sources, logically and cohesively develops the story, matches words with images, and reveals herself as a vivid and lively storyteller,” wrote Jones. “She is a natural before the camera and with a microphone, and it’s easy to see how her skills have improved over the last few years.”

The Journalism Education Association has developed a free online training designed to serve as a guide to the experience of judging student media for contests or critiques. The course, “Critique training: You be the judge,” provides an opportunity for new and experienced judges to gain professional development and earn a badge as a certified judge.

Participants will be able to identify the benefits of student media critiques, understand the role of a guidebook or published evaluation criteria, identify strategies for providing specific, meaningful feedback and recognize circumstances under which a publication may require special considerations.

The online course takes approximately two hours to complete. Participants who earn the critique training badge are listed in a national directory of certified judges, a new JEA resource available to help scholastic press association leaders reach qualified judges for the evaluations and contests they coordinate at the state, regional or national level.

The training is based on strategies and techniques applicable to evaluators working with teachers, students and contest coordinators at any level regardless of organization or publication and contest type. The final segment of training includes media-specific videos to provide examples and concepts for broadcast, yearbook, newspaper/newsmagazine and web.

Background on the project’s history and instructions for how to enroll in the online training are available here.

CSMA has announced the 2018-19 journalists of the year in five individual contests. First place winners receive a check for $250, while their school media programs receive another $250. You can find more information here.

All place-winners received a certificate of recognition.

Broadcast Journalist of the Year

1st Place - Anthony Miles, Rampart HS - senior

Runner-up - Bella Rulon, Eagle Valley HS - junior

Reporter of the Year

1st Place - Tucker Reichow, Brighton HS - senior

2nd Place - Isabella Mahal, Fossil Ridge HS - senior

3rd Place - Noelle Harff, Highlands Ranch HS – junior

Photographer of the Year

1st Place - Maddie Provost, Rock Canyon HS – senior

2nd Place - Michael Place, Mountain Vista HS - senior

3rd Place - Declan Palmer, Arapahoe HS – senior

Designer of the Year

1st Place - Rebecca Wadsworth, Brighton HS – senior

2nd Place - Athena Taylor, Chaparral HS – senior

3rd Place - India Turner, Monarch HS – junior

Middle School Journalist of the Year

Madison Hansen, Cimarron MS - 8th grade