North’s Graeber Honored as Iowa’s Top Journalism Teacher

Students and members of the North Oracle staff join Ben Graeber (center), the Iowa High School Press Association’s Teacher of the Year.

This story is about North High journalism teacher Ben Graeber.

Why, you ask? Let us count the whys:

• In the midst of times when traditional newspapers at all levels are going the way of the dodo bird, Graeber resurrected one. The North High Oracle had been out of production for four years when Graeber and his corps of student-journalists that now numbers 34 and counting breathed new life into it.
• The school’s yearbook staff had dwindled into the single digits. This year 28 kids are collaborating to produce the state’s first-ever 3D, that’s right, publication.
• Enrollment in introductory journalism at North has spiked to about 60, a number that bodes well for the foreseeable futures of the school paper and yearbook.
• Journalism students have resumed entering regional and national competitions. Graeber expects that it’s a matter of time until the awards coming the department’s way will be going to his students, not him.
• Graeber directs a summer journalism academy for middle schoolers that’s doubled in size in the last two years. Its increasing popularity is another promise of even bigger and better things for the j-program at North in the years to come.
• Besides the local summer program, Graeber also finds time to teach at the University of Iowa’s summer journalism camp and engage in elbow-rubbing and brain-picking with student journalists from all over the Midwest.

Burying the lead this deeply in a story probably wouldn’t earn much of a grade from Mr. Graeber, but here goes:

The hits just keep on coming!

Add North High School Journalism teacher Ben Graeber to the growing roster of DMPS award-winning educators. He was recently named the recipient of this year’s Rod Vahl Teacher of the Year award by the Iowa High School Press Association.

“The students are the ones who have put in the real time developing the program,” Graeber said. “They create the newspaper pages, stories, photos and videos.  My ultimate goal is for them to be successful during next summer’s competitions.”

In the meantime Graeber’s award should be front page news in the next edition of the Oracle. To check out the latest one click here: www.northhsoracle.com.