Each year at the Fall Conference, we award three awards during the adviser luncheon. These awards include the Administrator of the Year, Rod Vahl Teacher of the Year, and the Stratton Award.
This year we also introduced the Lifetime Achievement Award to honor retired advisers whose leadership, dedication, and passion have left a legacy in scholastic journalism. Through decades of mentorship and advocacy, these individuals have shaped generations of student journalists, instilling the values of integrity, curiosity, and excellence. Their impact continues to elevate the standards of student media and inspire future storytellers across Iowa and beyond. Moving forward, the Lifetime Achievement Award will be named after it’s inaugural winner—Richard “Dick” Johns.
Check out the winners of the 2025 IHSPA Honors, including their award presentation speech, below:
Richard Johns Lifetime Achievement Award: Richard "Dick" Johns
This year marks IHSPA’s newest award, the Lifetime Achievement Award. This honor celebrates retired advisers whose leadership, dedication, and passion have left a legacy in scholastic journalism. Through decades of mentorship and advocacy, these individuals have shaped generations of student journalists, instilling the values of integrity, curiosity, and excellence.
Their impact continues to elevate the standards of student media and inspire future storytellers across Iowa and beyond.
Moving forward, the award will be named after the inaugural honoree, Richard “Dick” Johns. Dick has shaped scholastic journalism in Iowa from being an adviser, a teacher to many current advisers, Quill and Scroll executive director, and contributing to IHSPA over the years. His work has earned him numerous awards and accolades, and his name is truly synonymous with scholastic journalism.
A few of his accolades include: JEA’s Carl Towley Award, Linda S. Putney Teacher Inspiration Award, Medal of Merit Award, and Lifetime Achievement, Society of Professional Journalist’s David Eshelman Outstanding Campus Adviser Award, ACJMC’s David Adams Scholastic Journalism Division Educator of the Year Award, and the namesake of the Richard P. Johns Quill and Scroll scholarship.
The award was presented by City High adviser, Jonathan Rogers with the speech written by Jack Kennedy. You can read Jack’s speech for Dick here.
Administrator of the Year: Mitch Gross
Mitch Gross, Iowa City West High School’s Principal, earned this year’s Administrator of the Year award. Mitch has been West High’s principal since 2020, where he has supported his school,
including the student-led publications, Trojan Epic and West Side Story.
The Administrator of the Year award is given to outstanding school administrators to acknowledge their support of journalism education within their schools or districts.
Mitch was nominated by West Side Story’s Photo and Sports Editor, Colin Wehrle. You can read Colin’s Administrator of the Year presentation speech for Mitch here.
Rod Vahl Teacher of the Year: Beth Basinger
Adel DeSoto Minburn High School’s Beth Basinger earned the 2025 Rod Vahl Teacher of the Year honor. Beth has been with ADM High School for 10 years and serves as the journalism adviser for their newspaper, Black & Redgister, and their yearbook, The Tiger.
The Rod Vahl Teacher of the Year award acknowledges excellence in teaching and advising. The award is named in honor of Rod Vahl, national high school teacher of the year and long-time IHSPA officer and newspaper adviser from Davenport.
Beth was nominated by previous student and Black & Redgister reporter, Annelise Kreifels. You can read Annelist’s Teacher of the Year presentation speech for Beth here.
Stratton Award: Chris Cuellar
The 2025 Stratton Award was presented to Iowa High School Athletic Association’s Chris Cuellar. Chris is the Communications Director for IHSAA, where he coordinates everything media related across the state, including student credentials for state tournaments.
The Stratton Award is presented to an individual or organization for their support of scholastic journalism. The award was named in honor of the late Kenneth Stratton, longtime publications advisers at Des Moines East High School, author of Press time, and previous IHSPA president.
The award was presented by Indianola’s publications adviser, Emma Kinney. You can read Emma’s presentation speech for Chris here.
How to Nominate for IHSPA Honors
The Iowa High School Press Association’s Honors are presented annually at the Fall Conference. Nominations are now open and close on May 8th, 2026.
Both advisers AND students are able to nominate for these awards. You can learn more about each award and the nomination form here.
