Youth Journalism International of West Hartford, Connecticut has named Mentor Konnie Krislock, of Newport Coast, California, as Educator of the Year.
Konnie wrote about this honor, “I have always been an admirer of the Pete Carroll theory on competing; ‘Finish Strong,’ he challenges.” In her final year teaching journalism, she is proud to have done just this.
Krislock was nominated by her student, Julia Dupuis.
The award citation said, “Konnie Krislock has long been fighting to ensure her students’ voices are heard. As the adviser to The Bolt, the excellent student paper at Sage Hill School in Newport Coast, California, her fiery passion extends from fighting censorship to her hatred of the Oxford comma.
‘Courage is at the core of Konnie’s journalism,’ said the paper’s opinions editor, Julia Dupuis. ‘She shapes her students to raise questions that challenge readers and make them think. Her intense (and sometimes slightly terrifying) focus is on helping young people speak the truth with sincerity and passion.’
So this Queen of the First Amendment, a leader for generations of would-be reporters, was an easy pick as the Journalism Educator of the Year even though she faced remarkably tough competition for the honor.”