Oak Ridge’s Bennett named a Rising Star by JEA

Kansas City, Mo. (Jan. 10, 2013) – Colleen Bennett from Oak Ridge High School in Orlando, Fla. – a Walsworth customer – has been chosen a recipient of the Rising Star Award from the Journalism Education Association (JEA).

Bennett is in her second year of teaching journalism and advising the yearbook at Oak Ridge, and previously worked as the yearbook adviser at Citrus High School in Florida. In Bennett’s first year at Oak Ridge, the Pathfinder yearbook was named an All-Florida yearbook and was given a First Class rating by the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA).

“I’m extremely honored to win this award. There are so many advisers that I respect who have previously won the Rising Star,” said Bennett. “So much of the credit needs to go to my kids. They do so many things that make me look good every day.”

Each year, JEA recognizes advisers with up to five years of experience who show promise as up-and-coming advisers. Nominations for the Rising Star Award can come from scholastic press associations, yearbook companies, fellow teachers, students and parents. This year the JEA recognized five advisers, including:

• Angela Banfield, CJE, Coronado High School, Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Colleen Bennett, CJE, Oak Ridge High School, Orlando, Fla.
• Keith Carlson, CJE, Naperville Central High School, Naperville, Ill.
• Tara Stepanek, CJE, Parkway Central High School, Chesterfield, Mo.
• Anthony Whitten, CJE, Westfield High School, Chantilly, Va.

Each Rising Star winner will be presented with a plaque during the adviser awards luncheon at the upcoming JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Convention, April 25-28, in San Francisco.