7/14/05 Contact: David M. Granger, 334/844-9999 (grangdm@auburn.edu)

HIGH SCHOOL JOURNALISTS EARN SCHOLARSHIPS AT AU SUMMER WORKSHOP

AUBURN – Six of the top participants in the 2005 Auburn University High School Summer Journalism Workshop went home with $1,000 scholarship offers funded by the Mobile Register.

All went home with lessons in journalism basics to share with their fellow high school students.

The students were selected in a competitive application process. The workshop was funded by the Alabama Press Association Foundation and the AU College of Liberal Arts with additional scholarship support from the Mobile Register.

Winners of the top scholarship offers were: Julie Clark, Handley High School; Courtney Sherman, Homewood High School, Teanna Moore, Daleville High School; Katy Montalto, Hewitt Trussville High School; Jessica Hixon and Julian Johnson, Monroe County High School.

In addition to the $1,000 scholarship award, other attendees were awarded $500 book scholarship offers. Book Scholarship winners were: Randi Mcduffie, Boaz High School; McKenzie Forbes, Cottage Hill Christian Academy; Kate Giles and Nadia Bhuiyan, Auburn High School; Jennifer Oden, Hubbertville High School; Kayla Gaines and Natalie Wade, Oakman High School; and Kelsi Cline, Enterprise High School.

Other awards presented went to Marie Dowdell, Opelika High School, Workshop Young Journalist Award; Armenda Gossett, Hokes Bluff High School, First Amendment Award, and David Grayton, Sidney Lanier High School, Spirit Award.

Kaffie Sledge, a columnist with the Columbus-Ledger Enquirer and workshop director, said, “We were so impressed with the energy of this group. I expect all of these students will have a great future in journalism.”

Nan Fairley, workshop faculty coordinator, added, “The students got a real crash course in journalism basics and had fun at the same time. This outstanding group of young journalists made our third workshop the best ever.”

Members of the Auburn Department of Communication and Journalism faculty conducted classes on topics ranging from law and ethics to photojournalism.

During the week, students wrote stories about a field trip to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Montgomery Advertiser and the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery. The Montgomery Advertiser’s feature editor Rick Harmon discussed journalism as a career. The students also had a crash course on sports journalism directed by Dr. John Carvalho, journalism program director. The keynote speaker for the awards ceremony was Ben Holden, executive editor of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.

Also attending this summer as special honoraries were two high school journalism advisers, Amy Pigott, Dothan High School, and Monica Barnes, Notasulga High School.

For more information on future workshops, contact Fairley at the AU Department of Communication and Journalism, 309 Tichenor Hall, Auburn University, AL 36849, (334) 844-4593 or fairlln@auburn.edu.

Application forms for the 2006 Workshop and additional information will soon be available.

Auburn University is a preeminent land-grant and comprehensive research institution with nearly 23,000 students and 6,500 faculty and staff. Ranked among the top 50 public universities nationally, Auburn is Alabama’s largest educational institution, offering more than 230 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs.

(Contributed by Nan Fairley.)

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july05:AU-jmschollies