Burke named Distinguished Adviser as part of JEA’s Adviser of the Year honors

Overland Park, Kan. (Jan. 19, 2015) – Renee Burke, MJE, adviser at William R. Boone High School in Orlando, Fla., was named a Distinguished Adviser this week when the Journalism Education Association (JEA) announced the recipients of its annual Yearbook Adviser of the Year honors.

JEA, an educational organization for journalism advisers, bestows these honors annually on high school yearbook advisers in recognition of their work in scholastic journalism in their school and across the country throughout their career. The winners are selected by a panel of past winners and representatives of JEA, the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) and Quill and Scroll.

Burke’s yearbooks at Boone are past recipients of both CSPA Gold Crown and NSPA Pacemaker honors and her 2014 yearbook is currently a Crown and Pacemaker Finalist. She is the author of the “Complete Your Copy with Captions and Headlines” unit of Walsworth’s Yearbook Suite curriculum, and she will return to teach at Walsworth’s national Adviser Academy in July.

“If you go by Boone High School on any given evening, the lights are on, the computers are going full speed and a staff of yearbook or newspaper students are working to perfect their stories, pictures or graphics,” said Missy Green, the Walsworth Yearbooks sales representative for Boone High School. “They have a tremendous passion for journalism that has been championed by their adviser Renee Burke.”

Margaret Sorrows, CJE, adviser at Bryant High School in Bryant, Ark., was named the 2014 H.L. Hall Yearbook Adviser of the Year.

During her 36 years of teaching, Sorrows has advised 30 yearbook staffs and 36 newspaper staffs. She has been at Bryant for the past 24 years. Bryant’s yearbook, The Hornet, has earned Crown awards from the CSPA and Pacemaker awards from the NSPA under Sorrows’ guidance.

JEA named two Distinguished Advisers this year. In addition to Burke, Kristi Rathbun, CJE, from Rock Canyon High School in Highland Park, Colo., was also named a Distinguished Adviser.

Three advisers were named Special Recognition Advisers by JEA, including Pamela Bunka of Fenton High School in Fenton, Mich.; Justin Daigle, CJE, of Brighton High School in Brighton, Colo.; and Amy Morgan, MJE, of Shawnee Mission West High School in Overland Park, Kan.

All of the Adviser of the Year honorees will be recognized during the adviser luncheon April 18 at the 2015 JEA/NSPA Spring National Journalism Convention in Denver.