We are current accepting yearbook and literary magazine evaluation submissions. Visit the Evaluations page for more information.

You must be a current member of FSPA to be eligible for our evaluation services. If you plan on submitting for evaluation, please check our membership list to make sure you are on it.

Congratulations to winners of the Best of the Best awards, given to the top All-Florida winner in each category of the Spring 2013 Digital Contests. Judges reviewed 1,863 entries in more than 50 categories. All-Florida winners were listed in the FSPA convention program; Best of the Best winners were announced during the 2013 convention. We’ll be featuring links to a variety of the winning entries throughout the summer here on the website.

Download a list of the winners

You can find them here.

Stay tuned as we post over the next few weeks examples of the winning videos, layouts, stories and others.

http://www.jou.ufl.edu/fspa/?page_id=1579

If you haven’t already done so, please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9F3WCDF to provide feedback on your FSPA 2013 convention experience. Questions include your thoughts on the overall convention, speaker offerings, contest offerings, hotel accommodations and much more. Answers will be pulled Friday, May 10 and analyzed at that time.

Your candid evaluation of the convention will assist the executive board in beginning the process of planning for the FSPA 2014 convention.

We should go live by May 10 with the application for 2013 yearbook and literary magazine critiques. These comprehensive critiques provide valuable feedback on your overall publication. Top publications will receive All-Florida recognition at the 2014 FSPA banquet.

Newspaper, broadcast and online publication critique deadlines for the year have already passed. For more information, contact fspacontests (at) gmail.com.

In the first major award announced at the state convention on Thursday, Meredith Sheldon of  Cypress Bay High School was named the Tampa Bay Times Fund Emerging Young Journalist. Her portfolio of work included pieces about students concerned for their families in Israel, the downside of caffeinated drinks and how members of the school swim team balance the rigors of practice and the requirements of school.

The award honors a freshman or sophomore whose work demonstrates a bright future in scholastic and, perhaps, professional journalism. The winner receives $150 toward registration and travel costs for journalism conventions or workshops, plus free registration at the FSPA conventions for the duration of their involvement in scholastic journalism. Her publication also receives a $150 award.

Lindsay Alexander of Boone High School and Carol Neal of Westminster Academy were given the FSPA’s top student and teacher awards, respectively, at the convention on Friday.

Alexander was named the Todd C. Smith Student Journalist of the Year and goes on to compete for national honors representing Florida. She is editor in chief of her newspaper staff. Her high school was attending the JEA/NSPA convention in San Francisco on Friday, so her parents accepted the award and $500 check on her behalf.

Rachel Mowat of Hillsborough High School finished second and received a $300 check, Anessa Diaz of Lakeland High School finished third and received $200 and Melissa Danz of the American Heritage School was fourth and received $100.

The FSPA Student Journalist of the Year was established to recognize the exceptional contributions of student journalists in Florida high schools. To be eligible, a senior submits a portfolio of work that is reviewed and evaluated by Florida media professionals and journalism educators. The winner becomes FSPA’s entry in the Journalism Education Association’s National Student Journalist of the Year competition.

In 2002, the award was named in honor of Todd Carper Smith. Smith participated in FSPA in high school and after college wrote for the Tallahassee Democrat, St. Petersburg Times, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Tampa Tribune. He was killed by Shining Path guerrillas while working on a story in Peru. While his tragic death ended his own journalistic pursuit of truth, it continues to inspire others.

Neal was named the Morty Schaap Teacher of the Year. She has been Westminster’s yearbook adviser since 1971 — 42 years of scholastic journalism service. She was selected from a group of seven district teachers of the year. They were:

• District 1 Rachel Wade, Milton High School
• District 2 Janice J.R. Latham-Smith, Dunnellon High School
• District 3 Bonnie Tucker, Melbourne High School
• District 4 Louisa Ogle, Gaither High School
• District 5 Jillian Bieber, Braden River High School
• District 6 Camile Betances, Coral Gables Sr. High School
• District 7 Carol Neal, Westminster Academy

The award is named for Morty Schaap, a former newspaper adviser and FSPA president. The state winner becomes FSPA’s nominee for the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund’s National Journalism Teacher of the Year Award.

FSPA honored 30 All-Florida publications at its banquet on Friday, April 26, 2013. All-Florida rankings are based on comprehensive publication critiques offered by FSPA. This year, we offered website critiques for the first time. Thanks to all the participating publications.

All-Florida Yearbooks (2012 books)

• Aerie,  Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School
• Aftermath, Palm Harbor University High School
• Arrowhead, Vero Beach High School
• Fusion, Hagerty High School
• Mako Fusa, MAST Academy
• Marauder, Maclay School
• Oasis, Sawgrass Springs Middle School
• Panther Pride,  Lawton Chiles Middle School
• Pathfinder, Oak Ridge High School
• The Round Up, Lyndon B. Johnson Middle School
• Tigris,  Holy Trinity

All-Florida Newspapers (for 2012-13 school year)

• Blueprint, Hagerty High School
• The Circuit, Cypress Bay High School
• highlights, Coral Gables High School
•  Lion’s Tale, Oviedo High School
• The Pathfinder, Deerfield Beach High School
• Patriot Post, American Heritage School
• The Prowl, Coral Glades High School
• Red & Black, Hillsborough High School
• The Roar, West Shore Junior/Senior High

 All-Florida Literary Magazines (2012 magazines)

• Artifex, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School
• Oracle, Osceola High School

All-Florida Broadcast Feature (2012-13 school year)

• WPHS, Pace High School

All-Florida Broadcast News Show

• CBTV,  Cypress Bay High School
• CTV, Cooper City High School
• FBN, Ferguson High School
• WPHS, Pace High  School

All-Florida Website (2012-13 school year)

• CavsConnect, Coral Gables High School
• The Circuit Online, Cypress Bay High School
• HHSToday.com, Hillsborough High School

Applications for yearbook and literary magazine critiques will be available in mid-May. For more information, email fspacontests (at) gmail.com.

Check out Coral Gables Senior High’s 1st place on-the-spot entry to our Edit to the Beat contest.

Before the Convention

Go over the Student Behavior Contract with your students. Be sure they understand the importance of behaving responsibly.

Talk to your students about their goals for convention. The most successful students come to learn how to be better journalists and to take back skills to share with their staff.

Tell students that they need to attend sessions and participate in contests whenever they are scheduled. Encourage them to participate and to take notes. Tell them to network with students from other schools and to ask questions of the speakers.

What to Pack

For most students, school attire is appropriate. Students in On-the-Spot anchor contest need business attire. Everyone needs a light jacket, since the meeting rooms are often very cold.

Pack your party clothes for the banquet – “dressy” dresses, skirts and blouses for the girls; slacks, dress shirts, coats, and maybe even ties for the guys. Dress to impress. The theme is “Black and White.” (Dress for the dance afterward is informal.)

Don’t forget any props you may need – cameras, pencils, pens, notebooks, layout equipment, etc. Don’t forget your laptops and chargers and other tech stuff. And keep an eye on it.

Pack snacks for traveling and for your stay at the hotel. That way you can save money and keep your energy up for those afternoon sessions.

You will need to buy your own dinner Thursday night and breakfast and lunch on Friday, so bring some money. There are plenty of nearby dining options, from the world’s largest McDonald’s to Uno pizza.

Remember to bring money for the Pass the Hat collection (to build up the scholarship fund).

At the Convention

First thing to remember is you will not register for your rooms at the front desk; the hotel has a special room set up for us to register for our rooms and get room keys, and it is in the Jasmine Room starting at 4 p.m. There is no check-in at the front desk prior to that, so please don’t attempt to check in there.

Next, when you check in at FSPA registration (download the step by step outline for details), you will receive convention programs for all your students. Tell the students to read the program, plan what sessions they want to attend, read the time schedule and carry their programs with them all the time.

During the first night, everything moves quickly. Make sure you take the time to grab a bite to eat before the opening session.

Know where you need to be, and when. Use the convention program and the map, and scope out where your contests are so you won’t be late.

Wear your wristband at all times; it’s your admission to all convention activities.

If you ever have questions, ask any of the FSPA Executive Board or staff members. After all, they’re there to help you have a great convention. You can tweet direct to @fspa if you have a problem.

A few staffers will be around the registration desk on Thursday night and in Oleander B all day Friday. They wear blue, collared FSPA polo shirts.

The most important thing is to have fun! Participate in contests and sessions, get to know your fellow journalists and return home inspired to make a difference on your staff and community.

FSPA Adviser’s Survival Guide 2013

What advisers don’t want to leave home without

• Student Behavior Contracts – turn them in at check-in in exchange for banquet tickets
• Your school’s tax exempt form for the hotel
• Copies of your convention and contest registration forms, hotel reservation form, room list form.
• Any other permission forms, etc., that your school district requires you to have for field trips
• A list of your students’ cell phone numbers
• All the information about participating in the convention On The Spot Contests.