• 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

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Board Member

Amanda Bright advises the award-winnng yearbook, student newspaper and student multimedia news site at Mattoon High School. She became a Certified Journalism Educator in 2009 and a Master Journalism Educator in 2015.

All content by By Amanda Bright
The 2017 IJEA Yearbook Contest General Excellence Winners (top to bottom; left to right): West Prairie High School (Division 1), Taylorville High School (Division 4), Meridian High School (Division 2), McHenry High School (Division 5), Glenbrook South High School (Division 6), Richmond-Burton High School (Division 3)

Congratulations, 2017 IJEA Yearbook Contest winners!

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and At-Large Board Member
January 10, 2018
Chicago-area advisers learn from each other at 2017 Teach-In

Chicago-area advisers learn from each other at 2017 Teach-In

By Amanda Bright, Co-Secretary and At-Large Board Member
August 21, 2017
FREE CURRICULUM: Advisers can download, use 'Scholastic Media Law & Ethics in New Voices Illinois' for this fall

FREE CURRICULUM: Advisers can download, use ‘Scholastic Media Law & Ethics in New Voices Illinois’ for this fall

By Amanda Bright, Co-Secretary and At-Large Board Member
July 17, 2017
IPF awards Illinois high schools with $25,000 in grants for 2017

IPF awards Illinois high schools with $25,000 in grants for 2017

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
May 16, 2017
Brenda Field, Glenbrook South High School yearbook adviser and state director for the Illinois JEA, presents a "Fly the J" rally towel to each adviser at the IHSA State Journalism competition at Eastern Illinois University. Field's allegory on the improbable 2016 win for the Cubs was linked with the passage of New Voices legislation in Illinois, for which she thanked and encouraged advisers.

Brenda Field receives 2017 James A. Tidwell Award for Excellence in Scholastic Media Education

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
May 12, 2017

IJEA inducts Stan Zoller, Brenda Field into 2017 Hall of Fame

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
May 12, 2017
IJEA selects All-State Journalism Team for 2017

IJEA selects All-State Journalism Team for 2017

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
April 28, 2017
Adviser Steve Steele, left, and his Taylorville journalism students display their IHSA sectional team championship plaque after tying Urbana University High for first place at the Normal Illinois State University sectional in 2015. Students will compete at seven other sectional locations for the chance to qualify for the IHSA state final at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston for 2016.

Start preparing for IHSA Journalism Sectionals

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
April 20, 2017
The IJEA 2016 All-State Journalism Team

IJEA Blog: It’s OK to cheat! Use this to ID your deserving All-State Journalism Team member(s)

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
February 27, 2017
The five division winners of the 2016 IJEA Yearbook Contest include, top to bottom, left to right, University of Chicago Laboratory High School, Glenbrook South High School, and Richmond-Burton Community High School, Brown County High School and Calhoun High School. Congratulations!

Congratulations, 2016 IJEA Yearbook Contest winners!

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
January 5, 2017

IJEA Blog: What is RIGHT in journalism? Actually, quite a lot.

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
October 17, 2016

[Video] IJEA honors Linda Jones as 2016 Friend of Scholastic Journalism

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
September 29, 2016
Attendees gather in the Illini Union during the start of the IJEA Fall Conference on Sept. 16.

[Video] 2016 IJEA Fall Conference in Review: Empowered staffs, empowered advisers

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
September 19, 2016
BREAKING NEWS: Speech Rights of Student Journalists bill is law!

BREAKING NEWS: Speech Rights of Student Journalists bill is law!

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
July 29, 2016

HB 5902: A Twitter Retrospective

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
June 28, 2016
UPDATE: HB 5902 is on governor's desk

UPDATE: HB 5902 is on governor’s desk

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
June 28, 2016
Become a Certified or Master Journalism Educator at the 2016 IJEA Fall Conference

Become a Certified or Master Journalism Educator at the 2016 IJEA Fall Conference

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
June 11, 2016
Meet the Winners: IJOYs and All-State Team honored at annual IPF/IJEA Luncheon

Meet the Winners: IJOYs and All-State Team honored at annual IPF/IJEA Luncheon

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
June 6, 2016
House, Senate concur; HB5902 is headed to governor

House, Senate concur; HB5902 is headed to governor

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
June 1, 2016
Speech Rights of Student Journalists Act (HB 5902) unanimously approved by full Senate

Speech Rights of Student Journalists Act (HB 5902) unanimously approved by full Senate

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
May 28, 2016
Apply NOW: 2016 Summer Journalism Workshops

Apply NOW: 2016 Summer Journalism Workshops

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
May 19, 2016
U of I offers new journalism camp focused on multimedia

U of I offers new journalism camp focused on multimedia

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
May 19, 2016
IJEA announces 2016 Newspaper and Digital News Media Contest Winners

IJEA announces 2016 Newspaper and Digital News Media Contest Winners

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
May 12, 2016
Speech Rights bill heads to Illinois Senate committee

Speech Rights bill heads to Illinois Senate committee

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
May 6, 2016
Cathy Wall receives 2016 James A. Tidwell Award for Excellence in Scholastic Media Education

Cathy Wall receives 2016 James A. Tidwell Award for Excellence in Scholastic Media Education

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
May 4, 2016
IJEA selects All-State Journalism Team for 2016

IJEA selects All-State Journalism Team for 2016

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
May 2, 2016
The team from Homewood-Flossmoor High School took home first in state at the annual IHSA Journalism State tournament held at Eastern Illinois University on April 29.

IHSA State in Review: Celebrating Scholastic Journalism

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
April 30, 2016
IHSA Journalism State is almost here!

IHSA Journalism State is almost here!

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
April 26, 2016
Student journalists compete at IHSA Sectionals

Student journalists compete at IHSA Sectionals

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
April 23, 2016
Destination360.com

Debrief: Behind the scenes of the student press freedom bill in the House

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
April 19, 2016
Illinois Review

BREAKING NEWS: HB 5902 passes in the House!

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
April 18, 2016
JEA Write-Offs recognize 10 students from Illinois

JEA Write-Offs recognize 10 students from Illinois

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
April 17, 2016
The staff of the Glenbrook South High School Yearbook enjoys its 2016 Pacemaker while in Los Angeles for the JEA/NSPA Convention.

3 Illinois schools take home Pacemakers

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
April 16, 2016
Journalism students from throughout Illinois stand with Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) in Springfield on April 6. The bill to protect student journalists' free speech rights was unanimously voted through committee that day.

Speech Rights of Student Journalists Act moves on to Illinois House

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member
April 7, 2016
Apply for FREE EIU summer journalism workshop

Apply for FREE EIU summer journalism workshop

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Board Member
April 23, 2015
IPF awards Illinois high schools with $25,000 in grants

IPF awards Illinois high schools with $25,000 in grants

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Board Member
April 20, 2015
Janet Levin, who has advised The Correspondent newspaper at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights for 30 years, receives the news that she has won the IJEA's highest honor for a journalism educator: the James A Tidwell Award.

Hersey adviser Janet Levin receives honor

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Board Member
April 17, 2015
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