Jill Versteeg treats East High School’s student journalists as professionals, one of the reasons IHSPA named her its 2023 Administrator of the Year.
East’s student publications adviser Natalie Niemeyer-Lorenz nominated Versteeg. In the aftermath of a shooting near campus in March of 2022, student journalists told the stories of surviving victims in a series of articles. Versteeg supported this important work.
“Even while dealing with her own grief, she cooperated with students when asked tough questions,” Niemeyer-Lorenz said in her nomination letter. “She trusted them to do their jobs.”
These articles helped the East Scroll earn its first-ever IHSPA All-Iowa News team of the Year award.
Read some of their work:
The Prize Patrol, consisting of Niemeyer-Lorenz, IHSPA Board member Marc Havnen and IHSPA President Leslie Shipp, surprised Versteeg July 19 in her office. Niemeyer-Lorenz read her nomination letter to Versteeg and some crying ensued.
IHSPA will formally present Versteeg with the award during its State Conference Oct. 19 in Iowa City.
