Rod Vahl Teacher Award

IHSPA annually presents an outstanding teacher award to acknowledge excellence in teaching and advising. At the option of the judges, one winner and two honorable mentions may be recognized during the Fall Conferences. The award is named in honor of Rod Vahl, national high school teacher of the year and long-time IHSPA officer and newspaper adviser from Davenport.

Judging criteria for this award may include any of the following:

Innovation in teaching and publications advising
Reviving or building a journalism program or publication
Special projects that involve student publications
Articles about journalism teaching written by the nominee
Special awards, achievements or recognition

Eligibility criteria for this award:

1. Any current adviser and/or journalism teacher at an IHSPA member school.
The adviser may advise any one or more of the following:

Newspaper/newsmagazine
Yearbook and/or video yearbook
Literary magazine
Photography
A student TV or radio station

2. A teacher may teach any one or more of the following:

Beginning or advanced journalism or journalistic writing
Photography
A yearbook, newspaper or broadcast production course