ASPA News
A newsletter for media advisers and students Vol. 23, Issue 2 • Fall/Winter 2010
Sports Illustrated reporter Lars Anderson to headline State Convention in February
ASPA’s State for journalism Convention Feb. 25to remain in our 26 on the University high school and of Alabama campus middle school will feature keynote curriculum, even speaker Lars Anderson, though some the Sports Illustrated schools cut the motorsports reporter. media classes Anderson, who also first in these covers college football economic times. for the magazine, said “It’s takes he enjoys talking to a long time to young people to get hone writing them excited about and reporting pursuing a career in sensibilities, and journalism. the sooner you Anderson “With all the bleak start the sooner news about the demise you’ll be able to of newspapers and magazines make an impact in your community being so prevalent, I want young with your work,” Anderson said. people to know that there are “I still believe journalism is one of still very rewarding, exciting, the most important – and noble – enriching careers in journalism that professions today.” aren’t going away anytime soon,” Anderson did not work at his Anderson said. high school newspaper at Lincoln Anderson said it is important 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
For more information on Anderson, or to see articles he has written, visit our Facebook page or our website at aspa.ua.edu.
Dr. Jennifer Greer, UA Journalism Department Chair, jdgreer@ua.edu
Meredith Cummings, ASPA Director, mccummings1@ua.edu
Marie Parsons, Director Emeritus
2009-10 ASPA Officers President, Erin Coggins (Sparkman) Past President, Katy Burnside (Pelham) Vice President, Holly Michaels (Scottsboro) Secretary, Neena Davis (Huntsville)
Online registration for State Convention, onsite and carry-in competitions is available at www.aspa.ua.edu.
ASPA News is published by the University of Alabama Department of Journalism
ASPA News
Vol. 23, Issue 2 • Fall/Winter 2010
Location and date
The 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.
This year, by popular demand: 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 newsroom. 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 Saturday 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.
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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
Hotels Check our website for a list of hotels in the area. Go to www. aspa.ua.edu.
BRING YOUR PENNIES TO STATE CONVENTION! 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 teachers 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.
ASPA News
Vol. 23, Issue 2 • Fall/Winter 2010
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Willing to serve? ASPA to elect new board members at State Convention in February
When ASPA needed me, I committed. different parts of the state, advise different Some may say I committed for too long, havpublications, and that will bring a love for ing served as the Board of Advisers president scholastic journalism to the table. If you for a few years, but I tend to fall hard for want to get more involved, now is your things I love. chance. Now that ASPA is in the capable hands Although you do not get any special of Meredith Cummings, the organization can perks by serving on the board, I will go back to doing things the way they used to, have to say that serving is not a thankless and electing a new board of advisers through job. Meredith, Dr. Jennifer Greer, and Manominations and a voting process is one of rie Parsons are very appreciative of Erin Coggins those things. one’s efforts. However, you don’t want the At the annual Spring Convention in February, job for the thank-yous. You want to serve to make we will ask advisers to nominate their fellow advisASPA an even better organization for educating young ers for the positions of president, vice-president, and journalists. secretary. A simple voting process will then take place Sadly, it is time for me to move to the position of to elect the new board which will begin serving impast-president. Although I will still serve on the board, mediately. I must give up my duties as president to someone else. We are looking for advisers that can commit 100 I want that person to be dedicated, knowledgeable percent to serving ASPA. Advising experience or hav- about scholastic journalism, and above all passionate. ing served on the board will not be given precedent. So, advisers, start thinking now. Who do you We are looking for a diverse group that hail from know that will make a great nominee for the board?
Workshop topics for State Convention Sessions 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.
aInDesign aFinal Cut Pro aiMovie aInterviewing aEditing aOnline writing aFeature writing aNews reporting aAdvertising aAdvising aStudent press rights aSports writing aFinding stories aDesign for all media
aPoetry aFiction aPhotography aPutting your publication online aIntroduction to college media aWriting poetry and fiction aBeefing up the business side of your media aTypography aFeature writing aGraphic arts aPhotoshop aTypography aYearbook trends
aBroadcast writing aMultimedia tricks and tips
... and many more!
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.
ASPA News
Vol. 23, Issue 2 • Fall/Winter 2010
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ASPA to award four outstanding seniors awards at State Convention Calling all seniors and advisers: We have $4,000 for budding scholastic journalists
outstanding graduating scholastic journalist. Journalists will submit five examples of their best work that demonstrate the quality and ASPA will give four awards this diversity of reporting, writing, spring for Alabama high school photography, design or production. seniors who work with scholastic The Alabama Journalist of the Year media of any type. will represent the state in the national Seniors can compete to be named Journalism Education Association overall journalist of the year, the contest during the spring national state’s top scholastic feature writer, JEA/NSPA convention. and the state’s top editorial or opinion writer. Seniors can apply Rick Bragg Award for Feature for one, two or three of the awards Writing with a single portfolio. The award will be given to Winners of the three competitions, the senior who has demonstrated in addition to receiving $500, will excellence in feature writing be considered for a $2,500 college throughout his or her high-school scholarship to major in journalism. career. To enter, a student will To be considered for the awards, include at least three examples of seniors must have at least a 3.0 feature writing. grade point average on a 4.0 scale Rick Bragg is a winner of the and have participated in high Pulitzer Prize for his work at The school journalism for at least a New York Times, and a professor year. Applicants may be involved in UA’s Department of Journalism. in any media activity – newspapers, He is a recipient of the Clarence yearbooks, literary magazines, Cason Award, the Department other magazines, broadcasting and of Journalism’s annual prize for Web-based journalism. nonfiction. Award winners will be announced at the ASPA State Convention in Bailey Thomson Award for Tuscaloosa (Feb. 25-26) and will be Editorial Writing invited to the University of Alabama The award will be given to March 3, 2011 to be recognized the senior who has demonstrated at the Clarence Cason Awards excellence in editorial or opinion Banquet. Winning work will be writing. To enter, the student’s featured on the ASPA website. portfolio should include at least The competitions are as follows: three examples of editorial or opinion writing. Journalist of the Year The late Bailey Thomson was a This award recognizes the most prize-winning editorial writer for
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 selfanalytical 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. 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.
ASPA News
Vol. 23, Issue 2 • Fall/Winter 2010
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Almost 500 students attend Fall Regional Workshops across state 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, Montgomery Advertiser Students from LAMP school in and had almost 100 stduents in Publisher Samuel Martin speaks Montgomery attended FRW. attendance at that stop. Make to students in Montgomery. plans now for next year’s FRW to be held Sept. 12-16!
Northridge High School students participate in a Tuscaloosa session. Wayna Polk leads a yearbook session in Tuscaloosa.
ABC 33/40 Birmingham TV anchor and Tuscaloosa keynote speaker Dave Baird signs an autograph for a student.
WAFF-TV anchor Greg Screws served as keynote speaker in Huntsville.
Mobile Press-Register K-12 education reporter Rena HavnerPhilips served as keynote speaker in Mobile.
The University of Alabama ASPA News Alabama Scholastic Press Association Box 870172 Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487-0172
Nonprofit Organization US Postage Paid Tuscaloosa, AL Permit 16
ASPA News
The Newsletter for media advisers and students Vol. 23, Issue 2 • Fall/Winter 2010
Don’t forget to enter the ASPA contests and critiques! Deadline for entry is Dec. 15 Get 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.