FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2020
The Indiana High School Press Association is honored to recognize Avon High School student journalist Nathan Miller as the 2020 Indiana High School Journalist of the Year.
One of four finalists from across the state, contest judges selected the portfolio of the Avon Echo editor-in-chief because it showcased his journalistic skill, commitment to leading others and dedication to using multiple storytelling methods to address subject matter vital to his community.
“He has mastered nearly all areas of the (JEA Journalist of the Year) rubric,” competition judge Kim Green said in her evaluation. Green, a veteran journalism educator and director of Ball State Journalism Workshops, said Miller earned this distinction because of his experience and outstanding leadership skills. “He is a top choice for this award!”
Teresa White, senior lecturer at the Indiana University Media School and director of the Indiana High School Journalism Institute, came to a similar conclusion as her fellow judges.
“Nathan provides plenty of evidence that he is a well-rounded journalist and an excellent student editor,” White said. “Nathan’s section on leadership was the most thorough I’ve read thus far. He addresses every element of production and staff management, making a case for his logic and choices.”
Yet all of this comes as no surprise to the Avon High School student media adviser, Bill Caulton. In three years on staff, he has witnessed Miller’s progression from writer to designer to leader.
“I have high expectations for my newspaper editors, particularly the editor-in-chief. Nathan has far surpassed my expectations, achieving more than I ever asked of him,” Caulton said in his recommendation letter for the school newspaper’s EIC. “He is what every adviser hopes to have in a student leader, and I consider myself very lucky to have had him on staff for three years.”
Miller will receive a $1,000 scholarship from IHSPA and serve as the Indiana representative for the national journalist of the year award where he will be eligible for a scholarship of up to $3,000. Journalist of the year winners will be recognized, and the national winner will be named, during the 2020 JEA/NSPA spring national convention in Nashville, April 16-18.
FULL CONTEST RESULTS
Indiana Journalist of the Year Finalists
Salomé Cloteaux, Columbus North HS
Ethan Moore, Zionsville Community HS
David Adams Award
Winner – Timberlines, Greenwood Community HS
Second Place – The Optimist, Bloomington HS South
First Amendment Design Contest
Winner – Daylen Byrd, Pike HS
Second Place – Anna Kelley, Columbus North HS
SPJ/JEA Essay Contest Indiana Winners
Avraham Forrest, Greenwood Community HS
Eric Reingardt, Greenwood Community HS
Victor Song, R. Nelson Snider HS
Indiana High School Sports Journalism Contest Indiana Winners
Runner-Up – Savannah Abshire, Avon HS
Runner-Up – Jaiden Herald, Scottsburg HS
Winner – Eli Beck, Southport HS
For more information about the contest results, please contact IHSPA at ihspa@franklincollege.edu.
