Three Walsworth Advisers Honored with JEA Distinguished Adviser and Commended Adviser Awards

Two yearbook advisers from Walsworth schools – Tucker Love from Shawnee Mission South High School in Overland Park, Kansas, and Andrew Young, CJE, from Woodland Junior High School in Fayetteville, Arkansas – were among those named as Distinguished Advisers on Monday when the Journalism Education Association (JEA) announced its annual Yearbook Adviser of the Year honorees for 2024.

Another Walsworth adviser, Leland Mallett, CJE, from Legacy High School in Mansfield, Texas, was named recipient of a 2024 Commended Yearbook Adviser, a new award recognizing past Distinguished Advisers who submitted exemplary portfolios in this year’s Adviser of the Year competition.

Mallett has taught journalism for 23 years. His staffs have won numerous CSPA Crowns, NSPA Pacemakers and Texas Stars. He was named an NSPA Pioneer in 2022.

Justin Daigle, MJE, of Brighton High School in Brighton, Colorado, was named the 2024 Yearbook Adviser of the Year.

Love is currently in his seventh year advising the yearbook and teaching journalism at Shawnee Mission South, where he has helped guide the Heritage yearbook to NSPA Pacemaker Finalist and CSPA Gold Crown status.

Love got his start as an adviser as a student teacher at Shawnee Mission West High School in Overland Park, Kansas, with adviser Amy Morgan.

“I have been lucky enough to team teach with him at the NSPA Gloria Shields All-American Publications Workshop the past two summers, and it is one of my favorite weeks of the year as a result,” Morgan told JEA.org. “His passion for the subject is obvious to everyone in the room. I always keep a notebook nearby so I can take notes when he is talking.”

You can learn more about Love from his appearance on Walsworth’s Yearbook Chat with Jim podcast.

Young advises The Round-Up yearbook at Woodland. Young was named a 2017 Rising Star by JEA, 2018 Arkansas Adviser of the Year, 2018 Fayetteville Public Schools Teacher of the Year, 2020 Outstanding Young Alumni from the University of Arkansas and 2022 Special Recognition Adviser from JEA.

Young’s yearbook staffs at Woodland are annually recognized in national contests, and most recently received a Silver Crown from CSPA and a Pacemaker from NSPA in 2023. He currently serves as the President of the Arkansas Scholastic Press Association.

One of Young’s former students, Ruby Templeton, spoke to JEA.org about what it was like to be on Young’s staff for two years.

“When I became an editor, Mr. Young not only taught me how to be a good journalist, but how to lead a team,” Templeton said. “He doesn’t dictate the staff, rather he works alongside the editors in order to develop concepts for the book and continues to let them lead the staff throughout the creation of the book.

Young was also a past guest on Yearbook Chat with Jim.

JEA’s National Yearbook Adviser of the Year program is designed to honor outstanding high school advisers and their exemplary work from the previous year, as well as throughout their careers.

A $500 award for the winner’s school, and up to four $500 awards for Distinguished Yearbook Advisers’ schools may be used to buy equipment for the yearbook classroom or to fund student scholarships to summer workshops.