Five scholastic and one collegiate recipients honored for their contributions to CSPA
Col. Joseph Murphy began the tradition of awarding Gold Keys in 1929, more than 70 years ago, shortly after the Association was founded in 1925.
With the Gold Key, CSPA recognizes, educators, professional journalists and others in public life primarily for their service to the Association. Through their contributions to the CSPA, Gold Key recipients have demonstrated their support for excellence in teaching journalism and advising student publications.
The Gold Key Award citations say:
"In recognition of the outstanding devotion to the cause of the school press, encouragement to the student editors in their several endeavors, service above and beyond the call of delegated duty, leadership in the field of education, and support of the high ideals from which the Association has drawn its strength and inspiration."
All six of this year's recipients were present for the ceremony, which took place on March 19, 2004 at a special advisers luncheon. The luncheon was part of CSPA's 80th anniversary Scholastic Convention at Columbia University in New York City.
Marge Craig
Merely living in a democracy does not in and of itself make someone a good citizen says Marge Craig. Those actions and responsibility must be developed and practiced just as it is with becoming a responsible journalist. Too often administrators and adults expect student journalists to become young adults responsible for their own actions, yet deny them the opportunity to exercise those responsibilities, she says.
Wherever Marge goes as an adviser, judge, proctor, mentor she reinforces her words. Her publications have receive numerous awards from CSPA and NSPA and when she left the state of Florida to take a position at Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria, Virginia she stayed as an evaluation coordinator for the Florida scholastic press assoc which needed helped has continued in that position.
"In Florida we think of Marge Craig not just as a dedicated professional but also as a dear friend," says FSPA director Judy Steverson.
"As our evaluations coordinator Marge serves as a role model throughout our state. Her reputation for integrity and attention to detail inspires bringing and veteran advisers alike. The state of Virginia should be aware says Steverson that she is only on loan. But I am not sure Hayfield will accept that," said Steverson.
Since Marge came to Hayfield, she has been instrumental in expanding the journalism department. She has introduced a middle school journalism (newspaper) course, helped me to plan and introduce a middle school yearbook course, and she will begin a broadcast journalism program next year. She has worked tirelessly to get her students exposed to the newest and latest trends in journalism -- by traveling with them to conventions and by having workshops at the school over the summer. Her students now report on more than the ordinary stories, they work to investigate and seek out tough assignments. For example, they reported on a popular student travel company's suspect practices. The next month The Washington Post reported that the same travel company had been involved in a student arrest scandal.
Marge has been a judge for CSPA named a Dow Jones Special Recognition Adviser and is a certified journalism educator from JEA. She worked 16 years in the private sector but returned to the classroom because she wanted to make a tangible different in young people's lives. It's never about the money she says, it's all about the kids experiencing real life situations.
The Columbia Scholastic Press Association proudly bestows its Gold Key on Marge Craig.
Sandra Hall-Chiles
When you need someone to step up to the plate you can count on Sandra-Hall Chiles. Except she steps up to the podium.
When speakers scheduled for last year's convention called at the last minute to cancel Sandra filled in on the spot. On short notice she took control and was able to cover some much needed areas for Rebecca Castillo convention coordinator. In addition, she did on-site critiques for CSPA and instructional break-out sessions.
Sandra is the adviser to the award winning Bagpipe newspaper and the literary magazine at Highland Park Independent School District in Dallas, Texas. She has served as a judge and speaker for the Interscholastic League Press Conference as well as JEA/NSPA and Jostens's Texas Women's University Summer Journalism Workshop.
Bobby Hawthorne of the Texas Interscholastic Leagues said: "Sandy is a Texas rarity...a liberal in Dallas."
"Despite this, or better yet, because of this," Hawthorne says, "she motivates her students to produce one of the nation's best-and by best, I mean most intelligent, creative and global student newspapers. She inspires her students to look beyond their gated community at a larger more complex world and to look deep within themselves past the stereotypes."
Her advice to journalism teachers is to wear a Teflon coating. Find joy in imagining an English teacher's recoil should you offer to publish all of his or her sophomore essays in your October issue. She also says resign as editor-in-chief, as student publications don't belong to you, and adore young people...after all they will spend more quality time with you than with their parents. Earn their trust and your students will do anything for you.
Once a group of her students heard the wise adage of Pulitzer Prize writer Thomas French who said, "No writer of fiction could possibly make up something as compelling as what happen to real people in real time. Anyone can create a good story only a journalist can find one and do good with it." Her students have followed his advice and she encourages them to do so.
The Columbia Scholastic Press Association proudly bestows its Gold Key on Sandra Hall-Chiles.
Mark Murray
"I decided in the eighth grade I wanted to teach photography and later, being a high school yearbook photo editor was one the most defining moments of my life," says Mark Murray.
Because he is the oldest of four siblings (who never listened to what he said when they were growing up), he figured that by becoming a teacher, his students would have to listen to him.
The fun and excitement gained from sharing information and helping someone understand a concept, he says, still gives him a thrill.
Murray has worked for 18 years with the Association of Texas Photography Instructors. Even though he isn't currently advising, his contribution to scholastic journalism throughout the country has been felt and especially with CSPA, says convention coordinator Rebecca Castillo.
"Mark is a natural teacher, storyteller and photojournalist. He works effortlessly with students showing them both the art and journalistic importance of photography," said Castillo.
When he was advising, his magazine élan received many awards. He has served on the board of judges for Crown Award judging for CSPA. And as a regular speaker at the conventions, he took the initiative to create new programming for students with a short course for photography.
"He saw a weak spot in our programming," says Castillo, "and filled it with new opportunities for our delegates."
From his first day in the classroom, he has kept a favorite saying on the wall of his office. These words have provided him with insight and guidance for his role as a teacher. The words from Albert Schweitzer are: "The full measure of a man is not to be found in the man himself, but in the colors and textures that come alive in others because of him."
Mark Murray is a full measure of a man as a photographer and as a teacher.
The Columbia Scholastic Press Association proudly bestows its Gold Key on Mark Murray.
Marilyn Scoggins
Marilyn Scoggins teaches in a small school in Hooker, Oklahoma. She is constantly producing national awarding winning yearbooks. Even though she comes from a small school of merely 500 students, she has always taught her journalism students to have big ideas.
And, she has always promoted the idea that the yearbook is about the voice of the student body.
"She has always told the students that even though they were from a small school they could still do a good yearbook as she has been doing this for 17 years," says Jane Blystone.
As a speaker at CSPA, JEA and the OIPA, she has delighted her audiences with her ability to share ideas.
"I consider my students my extended family and would do anything for them," says Scoggins.
While most journalism advisers are usually English teachers, she has both the unusual and useful background of teaching computer and business classes since 1986.
"Although journalism was not my chosen discipline, much to my surprise my extra duty assignment turned out to be the passion of my life," said Scoggins. "I simply love how tiny black pixels of ink carefully arranged on a solid white page can turn to magic."
"No matter how stressful working toward deadlines became, seeing the creative process evolve from beginning to end kept my spirits high. I would send my students off and tell them to come back and WOW me, and they would do just that," she says.
They fearlessly faced new challenges and claimed their battle scars as medals of honor, knowing their hard work would all be worth it when the yearbooks arrived.
Her yearbook staffers believed her when she told them they owned their yearbook and that they needed to go out to find the stories at Hooker High School to record in the yearbook. "Go find the stories," she said. And they did.
They wrote of a new administration and new policies during the 2002-2003 school year. After the book was published, the principal informed her that the theme of her yearbook was negative and that from now on he would take a more active role in the book's production by approving all copy.
Several people reviewed the yearbook: saw no negativity, rather real stories about real kids in a real American high school. So did the parents of staffers and many community members.
After some struggle and Marilyn's decision not to allow her students to be put under the prior review microscope, she resigned rather than do something she believed unethical, something she believed would hurt the students' learning process. But she never told her students why she resigned. Instead, she told the kids only that she was no longer their adviser and that she loved them.
The Columbia Scholastic Press Association proudly bestows its Gold Key on Marilyn Scoggins.
Roger Siegel
When he was a rookie teacher, Roger Siegel was approached by a student to take over the school newspaper The Courier because an administrator had recommended him. He accepted.
Roger says, "After all, new teachers often take on jobs requested by the administration. There was no compensation and the budget had been cut to $0 for the paper. Our first editions were typed on a mimeograph stencil and I went to my first CSPA convention and banquet that very first year."
According to CSPA convention coordinator Rebecca Castillo, Roger epitomizes the ideal CSPA member.
"He has always helped our association willingly and selflessly. His dedication has included bringing large delegations of junior high students to our conventions and conferences, speaking on the program and judging publications for our annual member/evaluation critique service," said Castillo.
Siegel has been part of CSPA for over 25 years. He is a remarkable adviser who molds young junior high school students into well educated journalists who produce an award winning newspaper that rivals its high school's publication.
David Sanger, who was one of his early editors-in-chief, is now a White House correspondent for the New York Times and a Pulitzer Prize winner.
Sanger wanted to say a few words about his former teacher.
Roger Siegel has been one of the unsung heroes of American journalism. A teacher who, over nearly three decades, has shown his students how to turn their raw observations about the world into prose, and often into news. In the mid-1970's he introduced me to the journalistic arts. I caught the journalistic bug in his classroom, and the lessons he taught me then carried me on to high school and college papers, and then a career as a business reporter, a foreign correspondent and as White House correspondent for The New York Times.
I owe my start to his patient guidance at the Eastview Courier. And many other students -- even those who did not pursue journalism -- learned how to think about news and its presentation from Roger, a man who never raised his voice but who never failed to raise a good idea into the lede. His former students will always be grateful for the guidance he provided, and the recognition he has now received.
The Columbia Scholastic Press Association proudly bestows its Gold Key on Roger Siegel.
Peter Townsend
The Peter Townsend here today wants to make it perfectly clear.
He is
not the guitarist Peter Townshend of The Who, but the Peter Townsend of the who, what, when where and why. And as you hear his list of credentials you will understand why.
As director of student publications at Miami-Dade Community College's Kendall Campus, he was adviser to the award winning
Catalyst, the campus student newspaper. And under his advising, the paper was a consistent Associated Collegiate Press All-American, won three regional Pacemakers and a national Pacemaker from NSPA among other awards.
In 1988, the
Catalyst was selected outstanding newspaper in Florida by the Florida Community College Press Association, and it was a consistent Medalist winner from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.
In addition, he has been Florida Manager for the News Election Service. His job was to gather and report election returns in Florida to the nation and the world in several elections through the major news television networks including the presidential primaries of 1986, 1988 and 1990.
If only Peter Townsend was involved in the last election maybe there would not have been those hanging chads!
He is a member of the Florida Community College Press' Hall of Fame and the Florida Community College Activities Association.
"Peter is one of the most helpful and selfless persons I have known," says J. William Click of Winthrop University.
"Many of his students came from poor backgrounds and he worked with them to finance trips to national conventions including CSPA in New York. I always admired Peter for doing more with his students than I found time to do with mine," says Click.
Townsend says his greatest achievement for him so far is the success enjoyed by many of his former students employed at newspaper and magazines, radio and TV stations as well as public relations firms and advertising agencies. They have won numerous awards including the Pulitzer Prize and the Clarion Award for Women in Communications.
The Columbia Scholastic Press Association proudly bestows its Gold Key on Peter Townsend.
