Two Herald journalists win education news awards
Alberta Teachers’ Association honours journalists
AHerald photographer has been honoured for his work by the province’s teachers, while a reporter has been honoured for her work at another Alberta newspaper before joining the Herald.
Stuart Gradon, a photographer at the Herald for eight years, has been given an award by the Alberta Teachers’ Association for a photo of Dr. E.P. Scarlett High School’s volleyball team after they won the provincials.
“It was one of those photos where I was shooting away from the action because I knew the reaction shot on the bench was better than anything I would get on the court,” he said. “That comes with experience, I guess.”
Gradon, 33, shares the award in the daily newspaper category with Edmonton Journal photographer Larry Wong.
The writing award for the 2011 Education News Writers and Photographers of Alberta was also shared between two daily newspapers.
Amanda Stephenson, who recently joined the Herald, won for her coverage of education issues at the Medicine Hat News. It included a story on the funding struggles at the Prairie Rose School Division and a feature look at the debate about technology in the classroom.
“Education is such a rich beat,” said the 29-year old who moved to Calgary earlier this year. “There was so much going on, from politics to the human interest stories. “It’s a lot of fun to cover.” Stephenson shares the award with Edmonton Journal writer Andrea Sands.
In the weekly newspaper category, Kevin Maimann of the Edmonton Examiner won for writing and Jeremy Broadfield of the Cochrane Eagle won for photography.
“Education is an extremely complex topic, and in 2011 Alberta’s education writers and photographers did a superb job of covering a wide range of subjects in a balanced and compelling way,” said Jonathon Teghtmeyer, associate co-ordinator of communication.
The annual awards are given to journalists and photographers at daily and weekly newspapers in the province for their work on public education issues and achievements.
Lorne Motley, editor-in-chief of the Herald, said it’s an honour.
“We are proud of our education coverage and the focus of Herald staff to top-notch journalism,” he said. “This is nice recognition of the dedication of Stu and Amanda, and we thank the Alberta Teachers Association for supporting these efforts.”
It’s the second time Gradon has won the award. He also won in 2008 for a photo of high school football.