• It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Sarah Doerner, IJEA’s longest-serving president. Sarah died Nov. 29 in Du Quoin at the age of 86. Services were held Dec. 7. See below for our tribute to this great journalism educator.
  • High school seniors! Get your portfolios ready for the 2025 Illinois Journalist of the Year Contest! Entries will be due Feb. 15.
  • The winners of the 2024 IJEA Yearbook Contest have been announced! Check out our article below for the full listing of honorees!
  • A big thank you to everyone who attended our 2024 Fall Conference, which took place Sept. 20 at Illinois State University. The sessions were amazing! Thank you to all of our presenters!
  • Advisers! Join IJEA today! Annual memberships and lifetime memberships are available. Use our online form or fillable PDF to join!
Illinois Journalism Education Association, 2501 Chatham Road, Suite 200, Springfield, IL 62704

Illinois JEA
Illinois Journalism Education Association, 2501 Chatham Road, Suite 200, Springfield, IL 62704

Illinois JEA
Illinois Journalism Education Association, 2501 Chatham Road, Suite 200, Springfield, IL 62704

Illinois JEA
Sarah Doerner, who died Nov. 29 at the age of 86, served as IJEA present for 10 years. A year after she stepped down as president, she received the IJEA Lifetime Achievement Award at the organization's 2017 Fall Conference. Then-IJEA Vice President John Gonczy presented the award. (Photo by Amanda Bright)

A tribute to former IJEA President Sarah Doerner, RIP (1937-2024)

Linda Jones and Dave Porreca, CJE • December 15, 2024
Sarah Doerner, IJEA's longest-serving president, died Nov. 29 at the age of 86. After teaching for 37 years, the final 21 in Du Quoin District 300 in Perry County, she served IJEA in many capacities, including president from 2006 to 2016. Her dedication to scholastic journalism was second to none. Read on for tributes to this wonderful educator.
Free Speech

When schools take free speech seriously, so do students

By Randy Swikle, IJEA Board Member • October 23, 2015
That's what Randy Swikle learned during his 25 years at Johnsburg High School. Sure, free speech is risky, but when a school builds a culture of trust, students show time and again that they'll live up to the responsibilities they're given.
Who better to celebrate Free Speech Week than journalism teachers and advisers?

Who better to celebrate Free Speech Week than journalism teachers and advisers?

By Sally Renaud, IJEA Executive Director • October 21, 2015
Thanks to their time in student media, many young people learn firsthand the true power of free expression: how to communicate with strength, passion and logical rigor.
Institute fellows and faculty members assemble for a photo at the 2015 ASNE Reynolds High School Journalism Institute at Kent State University in July. Faculty for the Kent State program included IJEA board member Susan Tantillo and former board member Candace Perkins Bowen, now director of Kent State's Center for Scholastic Journalism.

Lessons from ASNE, a summer program that left an impact

By Dave Porreca, IJEA Website Editor • September 4, 2015
After 15 years, the ASNE Reynolds High School Journalism Institute has come to an end, but not before helping more than 2,340 teachers — including 101 from Illinois — become better educators and advisers.
LaSalle-Peru yearbook adviser Georgia Stohr attends a benefit in her honor organized in December by "Stohr's Warriors," a support group of friends, colleagues and family. Stohr died May 27 from breast cancer nearly two years after she was diagnosed.

Remembering Georgia Stohr: A tribute from her students

By Stephanie Bias, LaSalle-Peru High School • June 16, 2015
When LaSalle-Peru yearbook adviser Georgia Stohr died in late May from cancer, her students grieved, but they also did what Stohr would have insisted on — they soldiered through the remainder of their school year. Now they pay tribute to their beloved teacher.
Carla Jimenez of The State Journal-Register discusses her philosophy of "WWQLD?" while addressing the honorees Saturday at IJEA's annual year-end awards luncheon in Springfield.

What would Queen Latifah do? Advice for the next generation of journalists

By Carla Jimenez • June 10, 2015
One of the highlights of Saturday's IJEA awards luncheon was the inspiring speech by Carla Jimenez. Read on to find out what Queen Latifah has to do with great journalism!
This collage displays just a few of the 126 Illinois student publications and media sites that you'll find in IJEA's new gallery of links. Top row from left: University of Chicago Laboratory High School's U-High Midway; Antioch High's Sequoit Media; Minooka High's Peace Pipe Chatter; Taft High's Taft Today. Bottom row from left: Fremd High's Viking Logue; Oswego East High's The Edge; Deerfield High's DHS Media; Glenbard North High's North Current.

Visit our new gallery of Illinois student publications!

By Dave Porreca, IJEA Website Editor • May 22, 2015
With links to more than 120 high school publications from around the state, our gallery is the go-to place to see the work of Illinois student journalists. Is your publication not in the gallery? Send us your links — we want to include you!
Members of the Mattoon High School journalism team await the start of last week's IHSA sectional at Illinois State University in Normal. Mattoon students qualified for seven events in Friday's state final at Eastern Illinois University.

Encouraging words: Reasons to be optimistic going into Friday’s IHSA state journalism final!

By Dave Porreca, IJEA Website Editor • April 29, 2015
Even if your school is small or you didn’t win your sectional, IHSA history says you have ample grounds to be positive!
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