In light of the upcoming Scholastic Journalism Week, Feb. 24-28, that celebrates the role of student journalism and its impact, The Accolade Editorial Board unanimously agrees on its vision for the future of the program and the qualities it seeks in the next adviser.
The Journalism Education Association [JEA], a national organization that supports the foundation for teachers and students, has been sponsoring Scholastic Journalism Week in February for five days from the 24th through the 28th, aiming to commemorate the freedom the First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees.
Accolade students and their adviser have historically participated at a less than moderate level ranging from displaying the poster promoting the week to sending in images of the staff and its working environment for JEA’s social media posting. We acknowledge that we could do more to promote the importance of the First Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees the freedom of speech and the media.
Such introspection leads us to the driving force behind high school journalism — its adviser. Sunny Hills has been blessed with an array of teachers who have guided the program these past 65 years since its first newspaper issue published on March 31, 1960. It especially rose in prominence when it started winning local and regional awards under Carol Hallenbeck (Sept. 12, 1969-June 11, 1993) and consequently sending staffers to top-notch colleges, including Ivy League universities such as Harvard and Yale.
Our current adviser, who’s finishing his 16th year, took us to the next level, guiding staffs in 2001-2001 and 2016 through now to gain national prominence with the JEA, the National Scholastic Press Association and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Mr. Li has shared with us the sad reality that he will not remain in this role forever. Though he has told us that he plans to retire the same year his youngest child, a freshman, graduates from here, he has also reminded us that anything can still happen between now and then. Since he’s nearing 60, he could suffer an unexpected physical ailment or other issues.
When the principal has to hire a successor to Mr. Li, we urge him to solicit our recommendations for the qualities this candidate should embody. We know we cannot just clone our current adviser, so here are a few non-negotiables:
- an experienced journalist who can bring the staffers to the professional level
- while the age shouldn’t be the absolute limit, preferably younger to empathize with students better and stay with the program longer
- pursuit of awards at all levels to motivate students
- work ethic beyond school hours to hold late-night production nights
When readers pick up a copy of the Accolade news magazine, scroll through our online news website or see our reporters interviewing their sources, it’s easy to take it all for granted. But everything — the in-depth reporting and late-night staff production nights — happens because of a shared commitment to journalism. And that commitment starts with an adviser who believes in our mission. We look forward to seeing who can lead us into the next generation of news and beyond.
The Accolade Editorial Board is made up of the top editors and section editors on the 2024-2025 staff with the guidance of adviser Tommy Li. If you have a question about the board’s decision or an issue for the board to discuss and write about, please send an email to [email protected].
