The following are the remarks given by KEMPA President April van Buren during the KEMPA Fall Conference for both awards.
Administrator of the Year, Principal Troy Gobble Adlai E. Stevenson High School
Troy has been a defender of and champion for empowered high school journalism for years. Stevenson adviser Dean Bradshaw points to the support of Troy as being crucial to the success Stevenson’s newspaper has seen over the past 12 years.
In his nomination, Dean noted “It is hard to express what that support means to me as I can empower the students fully – knowing that we have a true champion of press in the principal’s office…. He trusts us to get it right and accurate as we pursue the stories that matter – flattering or not.”
Dean referenced how he received unwavering support when a story about gender identity created a viral backlash…and this was his very first issue at Stevenson. Dean said that “Troy and I spoke several times that week as we worked together to ensure the reporters and interview sources were taken care of and safe. It led to a student having to change classes, the paper shutting down our social media for a period of time and establishing the paper as a source of information and champion of unheard voices.”
A recent example of Troy’s support was seen when the newspaper covered a controversial incident that occurred at a school event tied to the Israel-Hamas conflict. As Dean noted “This led to several Board of Ed meetings with hours of public comment. Instead of discouraging us from covering these events, Troy actually made it a point to visit the room and cheer us on to report on such an important event in our school.”
In today’s environment, too often fear of ruffling feathers or upsetting the community overpowers the courage and bravery needed to truly report on a school and its community. An administrator like Troy who not only supports young reporters but actually visits their newsroom to be a source and resource is rare indeed. As Dean ended his recommendation, “All scholastic publications would be lucky to have a principal like Troy.”
Friend of KEMPA Award
Brian Lucas, UW Whitewater lecturer and WSUW Radio Advisor
Brian has been a resource for Whitewater students as per the UWW website he has taught a variety of courses including Introduction to Public Speaking, Publication Photography and Introduction to Mass Communication as well as in Electronic Media like Fundamentals of Audio, Advanced Audio Production, Studio Production, Radio Practicum, and Cross-Cultural Communication Travel Study.
In addition to this ambitious courseload, Brian has been even more generous with his time. Brian has worked with high school journalists as a presenter at KEMPA’s fall conference and as an instructor at KEMPA’s summer camps for years. His colleague and KEMPA executive director Keith Zukas said that Brian’s “contributions to the organization through his participation and education are invaluable to the success of KEMPA.” KEMPA has been able to offer learning opportunities to high school journalists in broadcasting classes because of Brian’s dedication and generosity.
Brian, KEMPA is only able to support regional scholastic journalism because of Friends like you. Thank you for so many years of expertise and support.
