Ellen Austin, Director of Journalism at the Upper School, was one of only eight advisors nationwide to receive the 2016 Pioneer Award, the highest individual honor granted by the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA).

The Pioneer Award is granted to select advisors whose involvement in scholastic journalism exceeds their primary job requirements.

Austin discusses what the award means to her in her entire career as a journalism advisor.

“It is wonderful to receive an award like this that is in effect validating all the work that students have been doing over time in a number of programs,” she said. “It’s a way of saying that the work that the kids have been doing is exemplary, and that I think is wonderful. This award belongs as much to all of my students in the schools I’ve taught as it does to me.”

This is Austin’s fourth year as the advisor to Harker Journalism. She manages all four of the Upper School’s award-winning publications.

Kshitija “KJ” Mulam, the Editor-in-Chief of the Winged Post, discussed the meaning of this award to her personally as well as to the program.

“I think this is a huge honor for Ms. Austin, I think she really deserves it,” she said. I joined Harker Journalism in the same year that she joined, and I have been able to witness the growth in the program not only overall, but us as reporters in our journalistic skills over the past few years. For her to be honored this way is a huge testament to what she has done for the program.”

Austin will travel to Indianapolis on Nov. 10 for the Fall Journalism Education Association (JEA) and NSPA National Convention to accept her award along with Upper School Division Head Butch Keller, who was awarded NSPA’s Administrator of the Year Award a few weeks earlier.