![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Harker journalism advisor and administrator win national awards in Indianapolis
Keller and Austin stand with their award plaques. They received awards for their roles in high school Journalism at the NSPA/JEA High School Convention in Indianapolis on Nov. 12.
November 13, 2016
Butch Keller and Ellen Austin accepted awards for their roles as journalism educators and administrators at the NSPA/JEA High School Convention in Indianapolis on Saturday.
Austin won the National Scholastic Press Association’s Pioneer Award, an award which represents a high honor for scholastic journalism educators across the nation who have been cited for their outstanding efforts as advisers to high school programs.
Keller received the Journalism Education Association’s Adviser of the Year award, which is awarded to one journalism administrator each year who has showed enthusiasm and support for his or her school’s program.
Austin accepted her award plaque in front of a crowd of 250 high school journalism administrators and educators, being praised by the awards host for her accomplishments in her field. Keller later delivered a speech while accepting his award towards the end of the ceremony.
In his speech, Keller not only expressed his support of the Harker Journalism program, but communicated his beliefs of a society built on trust, honesty and mutual respect community, prompting a standing ovation at the end of his remarks.
“I believe that if we live in a community with kindness, respect, accountability and integrity, then trusting is something that should be expected, trust is something that if once given is a gift, trust is liberating if used conscientiously,” he said. “Ellen has created a program that fosters trust and commitment to excellence and security. A reporter asked me once why I let students speak out and investigate difficult and controversial issues, my question back to her was why wouldn’t I, we are educators and education is all about experiences and teachable moments.”
Linda Putney, executive director of the Journalism Education Association (JEA), explained the importance of supportive administrators in scholastic journalism programs and responded to Keller’s speech.
“Administrators should be our best friends and not our enemies, and we wanted to showcase those administrators who support freedom of expression for students and who support journalism programs,” she said. “Mr. Keller’s speech was awesome, and his speech was not just only about journalism, but it was also about life. His thing about trust was especially strong because administrators have to hire somebody that they trust and turn that responsibility of running a student publication program over to them.”
Harker Journalism will head to their next JEA/NSPA conference in spring in Seattle, where the program will compete for more scholastic journalism awards.
