Shari Adwers, MJE

Director, Educational Initiatives

Shari Adwers, MJE, teaches at Loudoun Valley H.S. in Virginia, where she advises the Viking newsmagazine. Adwers is the Educational Initiatives Director of JEA. With a focus on mentoring young journalists, she embraces challenges, emphasizes student leadership and maximizes talent.

@sadwers sadwers@gmail.com

Abri Nelson May, CJE

Curriculum Coordinator

Abri Nelson May, CJE, advises the Blue & Gray yearbook, Crossed Sabres newspaper, The Daily Dispatch show, and Penman literary magazine at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Va. Previously, she served as the Curriculum Initiative’s Entrepreneurship Module Leader from 2013-2017. Additionally, Nelson previously advised publications at Pleasant Ridge High School in Easton, Kan. from 2011-2014. She majored in journalism and history at Washington and Lee University and interned with the Fairfax County Times and USA Today. Nelson holds an M.A.Ed. in Education from The College of William and Mary and an Ed.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Virginia.

@abrianna85 abrianna85@gmail.com

Megan Fromm, MJE

Curriculum Coordinator

Megan Fromm, MJE, Ph.D., is a former board member for JEA. She writes curriculum and seeks to support advisers through both content coaching and pedagogy. Fromm is a journalism teacher at Grand Junction High School in Grand Junction, Colo., where she advises the Orange & Black student newsmagazine and yearbook.

megfromm@gmail.com

PREVIOUS CURRICULUM LEADERS

• AVA BUTZU (2019-2020)
• CALLIE WILLIAMS (2019-2020)
• KAITLIN EDGERTON, CJE (2019-2020)
• KATIE MERRITT, MJE (2019-2020)
• MICHAEL REEVES, CJE (2019-2020)
• RACHEL WEST, MJE (2019-2020)
• ANDREW YOUNG (2018-2019)
• RACHEL WEST (2018-2019)
• SERGIO LUIS YANES, CJE (2018-2019)
• BEATRICE MOTAMEDI, CJE (2018-2019)
• JULIEANNE MCCLAIN, CJE (2018-2019)
• CANDACE BOWEN, MJE / Editing (2017-2018)
• JOHN BOWEN, MJE / Law & Ethics (2017-2018)
• AVA BUTZU / Entrepreneurship (2017-2018)
• ERINN HARRIS, MJE / Multimedia Broadcasting (2017-2018)
• BRIAN HAYES, MJE / Design (2017-2018)
• ELIZABETH LEVIN, MJE / Writing (2017-2018)
• TIM MORLEY, CJE / Photography (2017-2018)
• REBECCA POLLARD, MJE / Leadership (2017-2018)
• JUSTIN RAISNER / Web (2017-2018)
• MARGIE RAPER, MJE / News Gathering (2017-2018)
• LINDA BALLEW / Editing (2013-2014)
• MICHELLE BALMEO, MJE / Web (2014-2015)
• VICKI MCCASH BRENNAN / News Writing (2013-2014) and News Gathering (2014-2016)
• RENEE BURKE, MJE / Design (2014-2015)
• PHIL DIGNAN / News Gathering (2013-2014)
• MEGAN FROMM, CJE / News Literacy (2013-2015)
• BRENDA GORSUCH, MJE / Writing (2014-2015)
• LORI KEEKLEY, MJE / Law & Ethics (2013-2015)
• JULIEANNE MCCLAIN / Photojournalism (2013-2015)
• LORI OGLESBEE-PETTER, MJE / Writing (2013-2014)
• HOLLY SOBOROFF / Opinion Writing (2013-2014)
• TRACEY WARD / Web (2013-2014)
• CASANDRA WORKMAN, CJE / Design (2013-2014)

HOW YOU CAN HELP

We are always looking for members who can help us contribute to make this curriculum stronger. Here’s how you can get involved.

• Apply to be a curriculum leader. As openings develop for curriculum leaders, we will post them on jea.org.
• Provide us with examples. Getting permission from copyright owners is among the most difficult tasks of developing curriculum, and if you and/or your students have materials we could incorporate as examples, we’d love to add them. Contact the appropriate curriculum leader directly.
• Help us test the curriculum. We are looking to ensure that the curriculum we present is both valid and reliable, but to do that it needs to be tested in the classroom, with independent assessments of its effectiveness. If you are using some of the curriculum in your classroom and would be willing to be part of this ongoing study, please email mfromm (at ) d51schools (dot) org.
• Help us apply more standards. While we have applied Common Core State Standards to every lesson in the initiative, we know that many of our members live in states that do not adhere to CCSS. If you have experience with standards in these states and would like to help us tag the curriculum appropriately, please email mfromm (at ) d51schools (dot) org.