The National Scholastic Press Association proudly announces the recipients of its highest honor, the Pioneer Award. The Pioneer recognizes journalism educators and advocates who have made long-term, significant contributions to scholastic journalism.

This year’s winners — Makena Busch, Kathryn Campbell, Annie Gorenstein-Falkenberg, Dean Hume, Andrea Negri, Bretton Zinger — represent decades of dedication, innovation and mentorship. Their commitment has shaped student journalists and advisers nationwide, strengthening scholastic press freedom and ensuring the future of strong, student-driven media.

The Pioneer Award is presented annually to individuals who have provided outstanding service to student media through their leadership, mentorship and commitment to press freedom.

“These Pioneers embody the heart of scholastic journalism,” Laura Widmer, NSPA executive director, said. “Through their teaching, leadership and unwavering advocacy, they have inspired thousands of students and educators, ensuring that student media continues to thrive as a vital part of education and democracy.”

The honorees will be recognized during the National High School Journalism Convention in either November 2026 in Orlando or in April 2027 in Los Angeles.

Please join us at the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention Nov. 19-22, 2026, at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida.

The convention offers hundreds of instructional sessions, keynote speakers from national newsmakers, dozens of media critiques, JEA’s popular on-site media contests and the announcement of NSPA national winners for Pacemaker Awards and Individual Awards. NSPA also offers a convention Best of Show competition that celebrates current student media work.

Makena Busch

Makena Busch, CJE, advises the Pantera yearbook at Mead (WA) High School where she teaches digital media, multimedia broadcasting and yearbook. 

JEA named Busch a Rising Star in 2019, a Special Recognition Adviser in 2021 and a Distinguished Adviser in 2023. Her yearbooks have earned numerous state and national awards, including five CSPA Gold Crowns, seven NSPA Pacemakers and five WJEA Emerald Awards. Before venturing into education, Busch worked as a professional graphic designer for eight years while operating her own wedding and portrait photography business on the side.

In her nomination letter, Sandra Coyer of Puyallup (WA) High School said Busch has been an inspiration to her. 

“What is truly remarkable about Makena is her vision for what a yearbook should be,” she said. “So many people have this misconception that yearbooks are not journalistic in nature but Makena rebukes that on every occasion. Makena holds a strong belief of the journalistic storytelling power that yearbooks provide their community.

“Even though I have been advising as long as I have, Makena inspires me to be better and do better as a yearbook and media adviser. She has shown, through her actions and leadership, that anything is possible and achievable if you set your mind to it.”

In his letter, Mike Simons, the media adviser at Corning Painted Post (NY) High School, said she is an extraordinary workshop teacher. 

“I saw in real time what others across the country have experienced: when Makena enters a room, students and advisers alike are rapt with attention, ready to drink from a welcome, not overwhelming, firehose of knowledge and experience.”

Busch said she doesn’t consider advising yearbook as “work”, saying it is very fulfilling every day.

“There isn’t a single day that goes by that I don’t feel lucky to be in a career that allows me to pour my passion for journalism, design and photography into my students,” she said. “There’s so much more to advising than deadlines and spread designs. It’s the journey we go on every year that I love the most. Learning, growing, challenging one another, and finding a place to belong is really what the journalism room is all about. I love being on the front lines of the ‘aha’ moment, and it never gets old watching my students master skill after skill. The truth is, advising has never felt like a job, but more like a lifestyle, one that I embrace daily, even with all the chaos, late nights, stale pizza, shenanigans and deadlines.”

Kathryn Campbell

Kathryn Campbell, CJE, has advised every kind of publication imagined (so far). She started The Torch middle school newspaper in Cannon Falls, MN, then shifted to the high school literary art magazine Chimera in Owatonna, MN. She moved to St. Paul Academy and Summit School (MN) in 2007 to advise The Rubicon print newspaper, launched the news website in 2009, added social media reporting in March 2010. Video, podcast and blogs followed shortly after. Aureus, a specialty magazine, ran from 2016-19. Campbell’s title changed from adviser to Director of Publications in 2016 when she left English teaching behind to advise the Ibid yearbook and Iris: Art+Lit magazine.

Campbell’s publications have won numerous awards, including over a decade of NSPA Pacemakers, CSPA Gold and Silver Crowns, and Minnesota All-State honors while producing innovative and impactful journalism for the school community.

Beyond the classroom, Campbell has led state organizations and planned numerous conventions and workshops. She has served on journalism boards, volunteered on committees and presented and critiqued at the state and national levels. Campbell was named a 2025 Dow Jones Distinguished Adviser by CSPA and was the 2015 MN Journalism Educator of the Year. She worked closely with the Student Press Law Center, students and advisers to advocate for New Voices legislation in Minnesota, which became law in May 2024.

In her nomination letter, Ellen Austin, a long-time adviser and former director of journalism at The Harker School (CA), wrote Campbell has dedicated her career to building student voices and protecting student journalism rights with courage and with energy. 

She added that Campbell is worthy of the Pioneer Award for her advising work, her commitment to her students, her track record of excellence and her service to the greater scholastic journalism community.

In her letter of support, Ann Akers of Varsity outlined Campbell’s student media journey.

“It’s been more than 20 years since I met Campbell,” she said. “A middle school adviser in Cannon Falls, MN, she was impressed that the high school students there were becoming a journalistic force and sharing real news and opinions with the community. She connected with the [Cannon Falls High School] adviser, Austin, and in 2002 accompanied her to an evening judging session for the fall Minnesota High School Press Association, Journalism Educators of Minnesota Gold Medallion awards and the rest is history.”

Akers added, “Because of the exemplary programs she advises, her commitments to strong journalism and freedom of the press, her decades of work in her home state and beyond, her generous support of programs near and far, and the powerful role model she is, I think Campbell is an excellent candidate for NSPA’s Pioneer Award.”

Campbell believes that student media production is life-changing education. She has witnessed students transformed by their first interview experience, view the world differently when a professional camera is placed in their hands and work harder than they thought possible to turn a rough sketch into polished design.

“I am inspired by the achievements of others, celebrate the collaborative team, and risk big to realize dreams,” she said. “I hope I challenge the people in my scholastic, professional and personal life to do the same.”

Annie Gorenstein-Falkenberg

Annie Gorenstein-Falkenberg, CJE, is a secondary educator, journalism adviser and instructional leader based in Colorado. She serves as an English teacher, English department head and leadership team member at Longmont High School, where she teaches Yearbook, AP Seminar, AP Research and Sports Marketing. She has been a teacher for 19 years, 12 at Longmont High and seven at Arvada West High School. She holds a Master of Arts in Administrative Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Colorado, Denver, and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Secondary Education from the University of Wyoming.

Gorenstein-Falkenberg has guided student publication programs to national recognition for over a decade. Under her advising at Longmont High School, the yearbook program expanded significantly in enrollment and sales while earning elite recognition, including four NSPA Pacemaker Finalist awards and three CSPA Silver Crowns.

She was named a JEA Rising Star in 2015, the Colorado Student Media Association Teacher of the Year in 2017, a University of Colorado Distinguished Educator in 2018, a JEA Special Recognition Yearbook Adviser in 2019 and a JEA Distinguished Yearbook Adviser in 2022. She was also named a JEA Medal of Merit recipient in 2025.

In her nomination letter, Meghan Percival of McLean (VA) High School said she is an expert in yearbooks and coaching.

“What I admire most about Annie is her tremendous work ethic, her kindness and the incredible skill she has in coaching journalism students and advisers,” she said. “When I watch Annie work with her own students, it is a master class in how to encourage and lead people to give their best. When I teach with Annie at camps across the country, she uses that same skill to quickly identify just what they need and delivers exceptional advice. She knows there is no ‘one-size fits all’ solution for working with a staff and adapts and changes as needed to help them develop skills they can utilize to have the best year and the best yearbook possible.” 

Gorenstein-Falkenberg said she believes it is her job to empower her students to take risks, to get out and do something they have never done before — whether it is as simple as a shy student interviewing a student that they’re intimidated by or her students making the decision to cover controversial issues that are important within their community. 

“In giving my students power, I also work to guide them so they can be responsible in the way that they report the events of the school year for the student body,” she said. “This experience has helped me to see the value in supporting student choice and allowing them to pursue ideas they are passionate about.”

Dean Hume

Dean Hume’s 43-year teaching and advising tenure started in 1981 at R. B. Hayes (OH) High School where he taught journalism and advised the Talisman newspaper, the Blade literary magazine, and the Pace sports media guide as well as working part-time for the city daily as a reporter and columnist. In 1985, Hume launched the Talisman News Service, which featured R. B. Hayes journalism students covering the county for the local daily.

In 1992, Hume was hired to start the journalism program at Lakota High School. The new magazine, named Spark, won a Pacemaker in its fifth year. Hume, the classes and the publication then moved to Lakota East High School when the district split into two high schools. The Spark proved to be a perennial NSPA Pacemaker, CSPA Gold Crown, Quill & Scroll Gallup and All-Ohio winner, joining the NSPA Hall of Fame in 2010. The publication produced Ohio JEA Journalist of the Year winners, Kansas City Star Hemingway winners, Neuharth Free Spirit winners, NSPA National Story of the Year winners, Brasler Prize winners and ranked in the top 10 of the NSPA Pacemaker 100.

In his nomination letter, Dow Tate, the media adviser at Shawnee Mission East (KS) High School, said he knew Hume was a special adviser the first time he heard him teach.

“I still remember in the ‘90s walking into the back of a Dean Hume session on sports writing then being wowed by this instructor who was not only insightful about what students needed to do in sports writing, but he was clever, funny and bold,” Tate said.

“I learned then that he backed up those presentation skills with leadership of a publication that set the standard in so many ways,” Tate said. “His sports writing guide served as a reference book for what was often the weakest part of scholastic journalism. His editors’ staff manual was a small textbook with the depth of content you want the best editors to study and think through. His law and ethics handouts became one I still have editors use some 30 years later.”

Former Kent State Center for Scholastic Journalism Director Candace Perkins Bowen said Hume is always learning and eager to share his knowledge with others. 

“He’s simply the most knowledgeable, helpful guy around,” she said. “Even though he retired in 2024, he’s still offering his knowledge and enthusiasm to keep advisers and media students active and up to date.”

Tate said as director of the NSPA Gloria Shields Media Workshop in Dallas, he knew Hume was a guy he needed to have on workshop staff. 

“Whether it was beginners or editors, Dean would always push them,” Tate said. “I loved that in a conservative region, Dean didn’t hesitate to ask editors to ask the hard questions and cover stories that needed to be covered in districts where their administration would rather have public relations tools. 

“His program of 100-plus students would produce a list who would go on to work for some of the premiere media outlets around the country. He’s produced published authors and Pulitzer finalists,” Tate said. “Dean’s legacy of work as an author, teacher and workshop instructor make him a prime candidate to receive this country’s highest scholastic journalism instructor honors. It’s why I believe he’s been a NSPA Pioneer for years.”

Hume has loved his journalism journey. He thanks his lucky stars he got a teaching degree so he could be a media adviser.

“Journalism education is just unique,” he said. “Watching the kids drive after stories and debate the issues surrounding those stories never got old. The writing. The art. The photos. The design. The on-air interviews. The ethics. The decisions. The graphics. So many opportunities. It’s all so powerfully pertinent. 

“Plus, you meet incredible people and get to work with driven students who put it on the line for their school, and dedicated advisers who put it on the line for their students,” he said. “Knowing that students get the same feeling seeing their name in print that I did when I was published in Scholastic Scope magazine in eighth grade, well, it just rocks. It never lost its allure.”

Andrea Negri

Andrea Negri, MJE, is in her third year of advising the student media programs at Cypress Woods High School in the greater Houston area. This is her 18th year of teaching. Prior to coming to Woods, she taught at Bellaire and Alief Hastings, other Houston-area schools. Negri serves as the Journalism Education Association Scholastic Press Rights Committee director, the Association of Texas Photography Instructors secretary and newsletter editor, and the Texas Association of Journalism Educators contest director.

Before becoming a teacher, Negri attended the University of Texas at Austin and majored in journalism. She interned on the copy desk at several professional publications, including the Austin American-Statesman, Idaho Post Register and The Washington Post. While she enjoyed her media experience, her role as the University Interscholastic League’s journalism intern for three-and-a-half years made her decide she wanted to become a teacher. Negri also earned a master’s degree from Kent State University’s journalism education program.

Negri has also received the Interscholastic League Press Conference Edith Fox King Award, Texas Association of Journalism Educatoin Pathfinder and Trailblazer awards and JEA’s Medal of Merit. She was a 2022 JEA Distinguished Yearbook Adviser of the Year. 

In her nomination letter, Cindy Todd of Texas Association of Journalism Educators, wrote: “Negri is one of those hard-working behind-the-scenes people who help make scholastic journalism the amazing adventure it is.”

“Her impact extends nationally as the director of the JEA Scholastic Press Rights Committee,” Todd said. “She is definitely a go-to source when we have questions about media law and ethics. A staunch defender of the First Amendment, she has supported New Voices Texas, taking a personal day and driving to Austin to spend the day supporting teachers, students and professionals as they testified before the Texas House Public Education Committee. And when anything happens with New Voices in the Texas Legislature, Andrea is the one who lets us all know. She’s just that savvy.”

Alyssa Boehringer, Interscholastic League Press Conference director, said Negri’s yearbook students are covering serious topics that are important to students at her school and telling stories that will last forever — and that’s what scholastic journalism should be. 

Negri said working with her own students and meeting students from across the state and country continues to give her hope. 

“Our kids are smart,” she said. “They are more capable than many adults give them credit for. And they’re paying attention to what’s happening in their communities and around the world — even when we think they aren’t. … Without journalism education, I don’t know what or who I’d be.”

Bretton Zinger

Bretton Zinger has advised student publications for 24 years across four different schools in three states, including newspaper, news website, yearbook, broadcast and literary magazine.

He began his career as a photojournalism teacher and adviser at Truman (MO) High School, working alongside NSPA Pioneer Ron Clemons, and then moved to Chantilly (VA) High School, where he taught for nine years next door to NSPA Pioneer Mary Kay Downes. He then moved to Massachusetts where he started a newspaper and literary magazine at the middle school where he taught for three years. He has spent the last nine years as newspaper adviser and last five years as yearbook adviser at New Bedford High School. His students and their publications have won numerous awards at the state, regional and national levels.

In her nomination letter, Kathleen Zweibel, the chair of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Committee on Judging Standards, said Brett is a passionate adviser who instills in his students a sense of how to do things right. His greatest gift is the sense of empowerment he gives his scholastic journalists.

“Brett Zinger is a gifted filmmaker, teacher and adviser,” she said. “An inspirational leader for scholastic journalists and advisers. An honorable man with a passion for journalism, the writing craft and the creative joy of mentoring young journalists and advisers.”

Meghan Percival of McLean (VA) High School said she witnessed firsthand his dedication to student journalists and their advisers. She added that he fully embodies the selflessness, resourcefulness and relentless drive that the Pioneer Award seeks to honor.

Alongside his classroom work, Zinger has taught at the CSPA summer journalism workshop since 2007 and served as the local committee chair for the 2023 JEA/NSPA National Scholastic Journalism Convention in Boston. He was recognized by the Dow Jones News Fund as a Special Recognition Adviser in 2010 and Distinguished Adviser in 2012 and was awarded the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s Gold Key in 2011. 

According to Mark Murray, the executive director of the Association of Texas Photography Instructors, Brett has worn multiple hats over the years, but in every case he brings a quiet calmness to his work.

“He is the type of teacher and adviser that others count on to take care of the work that needs to be done,” Murray said. “And when he speaks, others listen, because he is usually sharing an insight or idea that no one else has thought of.”

“His contributions to scholastic journalism are long and varied. But each one exemplifies the qualities that I think a Pioneer Award recognizes,” Murray said.

“Since 2024, he has served as the Executive Director of the New England Scholastic Press Association where he focuses on increasing adviser resources and oversees increasing contest and recognition opportunities for student journalists in the region.”

Zinger said when all is said and done, it’s all about the students.

“The best part of advising is guiding and supporting students as they create their publications, seeing them learn, grow and mature throughout the process,” he said.