The Mother of presidents, Virginia, is also mother to many great JEA members. Learn more about Virginia today.

Programming
1. jRetreat in Petersburg, Virginia
2. jCamp @JMU
3. VHSL/VAJTA Media Championships
4. The Washington Journalism and Media Conference @ George Mason
5. Editor’s Workshop with Bobby Hawthorne @ VCU
6. VAJTA Awards
7. Winter Recharge Professional Development and Coffee Break
8. Virtual jRetreat Trivia Night
9. Virginia Journalist of the Year Contest
10. VHSL Charles Savedge Award Scholarship

Organizations
11. Virginia Association of Journalism Teachers and Advisers
12. Virginia High School League
13. Southern Interscholastic Press Association member
14. PBS NewsHour Reporting Labs

Local Newspapers
15. Richmond Times-Dispatch
16. Virginian-Pilot
17. Roanoke Times

Collegiate Publications
18. Collegiate Times at Virginia Tech
19. The Breeze at James Madison University
20. The Cavalier Daily at University of Virginia

Founders
21. Carol Lange and Linda Mercer, VAJTA Founders
22. jCamp founders Kelly Furnas, Chad Rummel, Val Kibler

Heroes of Scholastic Journalism
23. Colonel Charles Savedge, 1991 VHSL Hall of Fame inductee, 1978 CSPA/Dow Jones Teacher of the Year
24. Carol Lange, VAJTA Founder, 2008 JEA Carl Towley winner, 2002 VHSL Hall of Fame inductee, JEA/NSPA NHSJC local committee chair and 2008 JEA Carl Towley winner
25. Bob Button, VHSL Activities Director, 1990 JEA Carl Towley winner
26. VHSL Journalism Hall of Fame Inductees: Bert Smith, Wilma Wirt, Bob Button, Mary Kay Downes, Val Kibler, Nancy Patterson, Betty Morton, Richard Fitz, Hud Clark, Linda Mercer

Yearbook Advisers of the Year
27. Mary Kay Downes, 2007 YAOY, 2014 VHSL Hall of Fame Inductee. 2019 JEA Linda S. Putney Teacher Inspiration Award winner
28. Martha Akers, 2005 YAOY, 2008 VHSL Hall of Fame Inductee

Resources
29. VAJTA.org
30. Multimedia Championship Digital Resources
31. @vamedianow on Instagram

Local Committee Chairs
32. Meghan Percival, 2018 JEA Medal of Merit winner, JEA/NSPA NHSJC local committee chair and VAJTA Director
33. Becky Sipos

CSPA/Dow Jones National Teachers of the Year
34. Valerie Kibler, CSPA/Dow Jones TOY, 2020 VHSL Hall of Fame Inductee, JEA/NSPA NHSJC 2009, 2014 local committee chair, Virginia JEA State Director and 2021 JEA Carl Towley winner
35. Alan Weintraut, 2006 CSPA/Dow Jones TOY
36. Chris Waugaman, 2014 CSPA/Dow Jones TOY
37. Erinn Harris, 2020 CSPA/Dow Jones TOY, 2015 JEA Distinguished Yearbook Adviser, Virginia JEA State Director

Administrators of the Year
38. Scott Kizner, 2021 JEA Administrator of the Year
39. Don Humbertson 1998 JEA Administrator of the Year
40. Teresa L. Johnson, 2014 Administrator of the Year

NSPA Pacemaker 100 List
41. tjToday Newspaper/Newsmagazine Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, Virginia
42. Odyssey Yearbook Chantilly High School, Chantilly, Virginia
43. Chatterbox Newspaper/Newsmagazine George Washington High School, Danville, Virginia
44. Sentry Yearbook Robinson Middle School, Fairfax, Virginia
45. TRNWIRED Online Prince George High School, Prince George, Virginia
46. Saga Yearbook Loudoun Valley High School, Purcellville, Virginia

National High School Journalists of the Year
47. Christine Zhao, National Journalist of the Year (2018),Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
48. Nyah Phengsitthy, National Journalist of the Year runner-up (2019)Harrisonburg High School
49. Kasey Thompson, National Journalist of the Year runner-up (2023) Harrisonburg High School
50. Christopher Sopher, National Journalist of the Year runner-up (2006) Annandale High School
51. Mia Karr National, Journalist of the Year runner-up (2015) Harrisonburg High School
52. Anuj Khemka, National Journalist of the Year runner-up (2022)Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

First Amendment Press Freedom Award
53. McLean HS (7-time winner)
54. Chantilly HS (9-time winner)
55. Loudoun Valley HS (2-time winner)
56. West Springfield HS
57. Harrisonburg HS (3-time winner)

Famous Virginia Journalists
58. Katie Couric
59. Hoda Kotb (Virginia Tech graduate)
60. Jim Acosta
61. Jay Harris
62. Roger Mudd
63. Jeanette Walls
64. James J. Kilpatrick

Fun Facts
65. Eight U.S. Presidents have been from Virginia, making it a hotbed for political reporting
66. State known as the birthplace of a nation
67. One of four commonwealths in the nation
68. America’s first IVF baby was born in 1981.
69. Virginia is for lovers
70. Highest number of vanity plates in the country
71. Broadcast News, JFK, Borat, Clear and Present Danger, Coal Miner’s Daughter, Dirty Dancing, Forrest Gump, Lassie, Hannibal, No Way Out, The Outsider, Patriot Games, and Silence of the Lambs were all filmed in Virginia
72. Chapstick was invented in the early 1880s in Lynchburg.

Scholarships
73. Allison Parker Scholarship, JMU
74. Byrd-Mims Scholar program, JMU
75. Lincoln Financial Media Journalism Scholarship, VCU
76. Landon B. Lane Memorial Scholarship, Washington & Lee

Certified Journalism Educators and Mentors
77. JEA Mentors: Mary Kay Downes, Pat Hinman, Val Kibler, Abri May, Meghan Percival, Dan Reinish
78. JEA CJEs: Dana Baker, Jason Baranowski, Lindsay Benedict, Matthew Cross, Katherine Dowdy, Nicole Eshelman, Emilee Hussack, Timothy Johnson, Tiffany Kopcak, Abrianna May, Denise Miller, Meghan Moore, Olivia Nicholson, Dan Reinish, Mitchell Schwartz, Leslie Stevens, Karen Swortzel, Kristin Untiedt-Barnett, Elizabeth Witt, Charlotte Wood
79. JEA MJEs: Shari Adwers, Ann Akers, Kristine Brown, Judith Davis, Mary Kay Downes, Erinn Harris, Val Kibler, Lisa Miller, Meghan Percival, Chris Waugaman

Good Eatin’ (and Drinkin’)
80. James Madison University’s peanut butter pie
81. Demolition Coffee
82. Trapezium Brewery
83. COVID Happy Hour Zooms
84. Virginia peanuts
85. Virginia ham
86. Crab chips at the 2019 Fall Convention
87. The Brickhouse Run, Petersburg, Virginia

Potpourri
88. Stephanie Bishop and her top-notch hostessing
89. Linus Downes, best travel companion in Virginia
90. Easy travel to DC for covering current events as they happen
91. Chris Waugaman’s record collection
92. Ragland Mansion, Petersburg, VA
93. Petersburg, Virginia (Hollywood of the East)
94. Harrisonburg High School, home of VHSL/VAJTA Media Championships
95. Close proximity to and collaboration with Maryland and DC