KEMPA Content
Get a preview of selected Fall Conference sessions
August 27, 2020
This year's Fall Conference on Friday, Oct. 16, will be one of a kind. We've never done this virtually before, so we are working hard to make sure that you have the best experience possible. To help you decide which sessions to attend, several of our presenters have put together short video messages...
KEMPA Fall Scholastic Journalism Conference: Innovating in a Time of Crisis
July 8, 2020
KEMPA will hold a virtual, live Fall Conference on Friday morning, Oct. 16, 2020. Far from being a slimmed-down version of our regular event, this conference not only lets you attend three live sessions online, but also gives you access to every presentation recorded that day. Our theme, ...
New publication critique forms and how to enter this year
May 19, 2020
Board members have worked on new publication critiques for the past six months, updating and re-formatting the newspaper, yearbook and website forms, and creating a new form for magazines. Instead of detailed lists of standards, each worth a certain number of points, the new format lists standards...
2020 Individual Contest Registration Information
May 7, 2020
KEMPA now offers several individual contest categories in Newspaper, News Magazine, Yearbook, Online Multimedia, Broadcast, and Photography for student work published by member schools in the 2019-20 school year. This is an opportunity for your students to enter their individual work to compete agai...
Superior High School photographer wins first place CSPA Gold Circle Award for Digital Media
April 23, 2020
The Superior High School girls hockey team lost a heartbreaker in overtime, but senior Judd Erickson won first place with his photo of one of them making a shot during the game against Hudson High School in December 2018. Entries were submitted in 2019, and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association...
Carolyn Wagner receives Dow Jones / CSPA Distinguished Adviser Award
April 18, 2020
Carolyn Wagner of Lake Zurich High School in Illinois was named one of four Distinguished Advisers in the United States by the Dow Jones News Fund and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Wagner received a plaque as well as a one-year subscription to The Wall Street Journal and access to webinars...
Scholarship deadline extended to May 15
April 18, 2020
To promote journalism and communication careers, the Kettle Moraine Press Association (KEMPA) will award up to $1,800 in scholarships to this year’s graduates of member publications who plan to major in journalism, photojournalism, communications, English, journalism education or related areas at an...
Teaching infographic design
April 15, 2020
Infographics have been a standard element in print stories for decades, but we don't want to overlook their value on your website or even in some social media postings. It's worth the time to learn how to decide what kind of infographic will be best for a particular story. I've noticed that some...
2019 KEMPA Publication Awards Announced
October 12, 2019
YEARBOOK AWARDS ALL-KEMPA Legend, Brookfield Central High School, Brookfield, WI The Beacon, Harborside Academy, Kenosha, WI The Tartan, Homestead High School, Mequon, WI The Blaze, Indian Trail High School and Academy, Kenosha, WI Laconian, Laconia High School,...
Tinker v Des Moines school district 50 years later
March 18, 2019
Fifty years ago the landmark decision of Tinker v. Des Moines was handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court establishing a strong precedent for student free speech rights. Justice Abe Fortas stated in his majority opinion that “It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional...
JEA Adviser Outreach Program Seeking Applicants – Due April 1
March 18, 2019
JEA is entering the fourth year of its Partner Project to deliver on-site training to journalism programs in need. All journalism teachers and their students deserve support and training regardless of factors like location, funding and available resources. The National High School Journalism Convention o...