Tag: 2018

Chrissy Wiedemann

CHRISSY WIEDEMANN

Student Support

As a teacher for 19 years, Chrissy enjoys working with students in English and journalism at Yorktown High School in Arlington, Virginia. Chrissy received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from George Mason University. A proud Patriot, she connected to an international community there and developed her love of writing. As part of Patriot Nation, she traveled to Indianapolis in 2006 to watch the Cinderella team head to the Final Four. (Florida continues to be her least favorite team.) When she can, Chrissy loves to see live music in DC, enjoy summers on the beach and traveling to other countries. Chrissy is excited to return to Mason for WJMC and can’t wait to meet new friends this summer!

CHRISSY WIEDEMANN

Student Support

April van Buren

APRIL VAN BUREN

Faculty Advisor

April van Buren, M.J.E., advises yearbook, broadcast, a journalism website, and also teaches various digital media classes including graphic design and web design at East High School in Madison, Wisconsin. She has taught journalism for 18 years, including at Parkway Central High School near St. Louis, Missouri and at Mesa Vista Middle and High School in rural New Mexico. She has been an adjunct professor for the communications department at the University of New Mexico-Taos. From 2010 to 2013, she served as the New Mexico director for the Journalism Education Association (JEA) and as the vice president of the New Mexico Scholastic Press Association. She earned her National Board certification in language arts in 2012, and studied journalism, education and library sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia. She was the 2013 New Mexico Adviser of the Year and is currently on the Board for the Kettle Moraine Press Association and as the broadcast contest director for JEA.

APRIL VAN BUREN

Faculty Advisor

Jessica Young

JESSICA YOUNG

Faculty Advisor

Jessica Young is returning for another summer with the Washington Journalism and Media Conference. She teaches yearbook, journalism, photography, video production and graphic design at Orange Glen High School in Escondido, California. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and anthropology from San Diego State University and her master’s degree in education from University of California, San Diego. Outside the classroom, she serves as the vice president and communications chair for her school district’s teachers union. She is also the president of the San Diego Journalism Education Association and serves as the secretary for the Southern California Journalism Education Association. In addition to teaching, she also enjoys running, baking, watching baseball, putting glitter on things, and traveling. She has conquered the Original Marathon Greece, the Inca Trail in Peru, and the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC. She and her husband are on a quest to visit all the major league baseball stadiums across the country.

JESSICA YOUNG

Faculty Advisor

Elise Kenney

Junior Faculty Advisor

Elise Kenney is returning for her third summer at WJMC, after being a correspondent and then an intern, she so excited to be coming back as a Junior Faculty Advisor. Elise is currently a rising sophomore at Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts, and is majoring in Political Science. Originally from Orono, Maine, WJMC inspired her to start a newspaper in her high school. Some of her favorite memories from WJMC include meeting Senator Susan Collins and C-SPAN founder Brian Lamb. One day, she would like to be president of the United States, but before that she wants to be a campaign manager.

Abrianna Nelson

ABRIANNA NELSON

Faculty Advisor

Abrianna Nelson, CJE, teaches journalism and advises newspaper, yearbook, broadcast, and literary magazine at Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington, Va. She also serves as a Curriculum Coordinator for the Journalism Education Association’s Curriculum Initiative; previously she served as the Entrepreneurship Module Leader from 2013-2017. Additionally, Nelson previously advised newspaper and yearbook at Pleasant Ridge High School in Easton, Kan from 2011-2014. She majored in journalism and history at Washington and Lee University and interned with the Fairfax County Times and USA Today. Nelson also holds an M.A.Ed. in Education from The College of William and Mary and an Ed.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Virginia. Her specialties include web-based journalism and social media. In her free time, Nelson enjoys creative writing, binge-watching, rock climbing, and triathlon training.

Katie Fletcher

KATIE FLETCHER

Faculty Advisor

Katie (Fletch) is a proud native Texan with a BA in political science and English from Texas Tech University. She teaches in a small town and is the sole member of the fine arts department at her school, where she oversees the production of the yearbook, the coordination of photography, teaches all art courses, and is in her 15th year of instructing journalism. Katie advises student council, fostering leadership skills and encouraging meaningful contributions to both the school and the community. She is passionate about the leadership development supported by both student council and WJMC, and she finds fulfillment in watching her students grow and succeed. Katie enjoys spending time with her family, photography, reading, attending concerts, following sports, playing spades, and traveling. She is thrilled to return to WJMC!

KATIE FLETCHER

Faculty Advisor

Maggie Campbell

MAGGIE CAMPBELL

Junior Faculty Advisor

Maggie Campbell is a rising senior at Ohio University studying journalism and a Washington, D.C. area native. She attended WJMC as a correspondent in 2014 and has served as a Junior Faculty Advisor since the summer of 2017. While at Ohio University she has been active in the campus Society of Professional Journalists and the student-run publication The Post. This past year she served as president of OUSPJ and was a copy editor, social media contributor, and member of The Post’s investigations team. She has covered issues such as education, facilities, and sexual assault in schools. Maggie has previously been recognized for her public affairs reporting by the Central Ohio chapter of Society of Professional Journalists. Maggie is looking for toward to a great summer of watching aspiring journalists grow and discover D.C.

Nathan Crawford

Junior Faculty Advisor

Nathan Crawford is a rising junior in the Honors College at George Mason University. He is studying Communication with a double concentration in Journalism and Political Communication. After attending WJMC in 2015, Nathan returned in 2016 as an intern, and again in 2017 as a JFA. At Mason, he is heavily involved in the Office of Admissions. He serves as a Mason Ambassador, a Telecounselor, and is a member of both the Welcome Team and Honors College Recruitment Team. In addition, he will be a Resident Advisor (RA) next year. Nathan aspires to one day be a broadcast journalist and anchor morning news. He looks forward to being part of WJMC for the fourth year and play a small role as the new correspondents explore their love for journalism. Find him across all forms of social media @n_crawford313.

Jada McClure

Advance Team Member

Jada McClure is a junior at George Mason University from Mt. Pleasant, North Carolina. She is a Communication major with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Journalism. After attending the 2014 Washington Journalism and Media Conference, she worked as an intern in the Office of Admissions at GMU, assisting the Washington Scholars Program with logistics and social media. She is currently Social Media Manager for Northern Virginia Area Health Educations Center (NVAHEC) at Mason. Jada is a sister of the Zeta Tau Alpha (Theta Chi) chapter where she served as Junior Panhellenic Delegate and is also a member of Optimist International in North Carolina. She is very excited to be returning as an Advance Team Member!

Justin Turner

JUSTIN TURNER

Faculty Advisor

Justin Turner has taught journalism and advised yearbooks, newspapers, and literary magazines for 15 years. In that time he’s found his passion: supporting students, the 1st amendment, and the power of those two things together. Justin’s staffs have won numerous state and national awards including gold medals, first divisions, individual write off awards, Arkansas’s top honor, the All-Arkansas award, and has placed in the top 10 best of show at a JEA/NSPA convention. Justin was named the 2020 Arkansas Adviser of the Year. He’s lost count of how many WJMC sessions he’s been able to attend, but each one has made for an amazing summer!