JEA names Ferentinos winner of Carl Towley Award

The Journalism Education Association (JEA) announced today that former journalism adviser Nick Ferentinos has been named the winner of this year’s Carl Towley Award.

Each year, the Carl Towley Award is given to an organization member for exceptional service and is considered JEA’s highest honor. Ferentinos, who taught English and journalism for 38 years at Homestead High School in Cupertino, California, died in January of this year after a long battle with lung cancer.

Ferentinos’ legacy at Homestead was as a well-respected and admired teacher. He retired in 2000, but continued as a mentor until 2003. During his time at the school, Homestead’s student newspaper was a multiple winner of CSPA Crown and NSPA Pacemaker awards. In 1994, he was named the Dow Jones News Fund National High School Journalism Teacher of the Year.

Upon retirement, Ferentinos worked as a consultant for the New Teacher Center in Santa Cruz, California, and as a trainer in JEA’s Mentoring Program.