Austin named Dow Jones Journalism Teacher of the Year, Kocur receives Special Recognition

Kansas City, Mo. (Sept. 12, 2012) – Ellen Austin, a journalism teacher at Palo Alto Senior High School in Palo Alto, Calif., has been chosen as the 2012 National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year by the Dow Jones News Fund (DJNF).

DJNF selected three Special Recognition Advisers, including a Walsworth customer – Jeff Kocur, yearbook adviser at Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, Minn. The others named to receive the award were Melissa Wantz of Foothill Technology High School in Ventura, Calif., and Rebeca Zimmermann of Highland High School in Albuquerque, N.M.

Four journalism teachers were honored as Distinguished Advisers:  Beatrice Motamedi of The Urban School of San Francisco; Rod Satterthwaite of Dexter High School in Dexter, Mich.; Jim Streisel of Carmel High School in Carmel, Ind.; and Bretton Zinger of Chantilly High School in Chantilly, Va.

Austin is the adviser for Palo Alto High School’s award-winning Viking sports magazine and website, and is co-adviser for INfocus, the live daily news show. She was named the 2011 California Journalism Educator of the Year, and chairs the Student Press Law Center’s steering committee.

All of the winners will be honored at the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention in San Antonio on Nov. 17. As Journalism Teacher of the Year, Austin will speak to scholastic and media groups nationwide and write a column for DJNF’s Adviser Update publication, in addition to other benefits.