Essex, Missouri - Kyle Carter of Richland R-I Jr/Sr High School has been named the Missouri Journalism Education Association's Rising Star award winner.

For the past two years, Kyle Carter has been teaching business and advising the yearbook. In his short time as an adviser, Carter has done big things for the program. An accomplished photographer himself (a Mississippi Press association award winner with photos published in USA Today and Sports Illustrated to name a few), his students have been recognized with a number of awards for their photography under his guidance.

Carter explains his greatest enjoyment in his role this way: “I LOVE taking someone who is a self-professed ‘good photographer’ and starting them on the Three Things We Can Control lesson. This lesson both opens their eyes to the possibilities of different styles of photography and helps them understand their own personal style better."

"I also LOVE advising, especially onsite work. Sitting with another shooter and picking their brain about what they could have done differently or why they used a f/4.5 on a double play instead of f/3.5. I enjoy helping them understand as much as they can about the assignment they are shooting as well as the camera principles. I enjoy seeing the satisfaction in the students’ face when they get their first really good photo - are published on the front page of the paper for the first time or even the gleam of pride in their eyes after they’ve won their first award. Most of my students come to me with the world’s preconceived notion of what a photo should look like - I teach them how to break down a photograph into their individual pieces (f/stop, shutter speed, ISO, etc.) and then advise them on how to make their art work even better than the previous photo they’ve seen.”

He was nominated by one of his students, Parker Miller. A junior in his first year on the yearbook staff. In his short time as a staff member, Parker Miller is a Gold Key winner from Quill and Scroll, an MJEA Photo of the Year Finalist and a member of the 2015 MJEA All-State Journalism Team.

The Richland Director of Music and Bands, Amber Dulley,  said, “Our current yearbook and journalism program is only in its second year, and has made unprecedented advances in student involvement, student skill level, use of technology, and quality of product."

The Missouri Journalism Education Association is the largest state scholastic journalism organization formed to help protect and enhance scholastic journalism in Missouri. MJEA works to provide outreach and support to advisers and journalism programs across the state. MJEA supports free and responsible scholastic journalism by providing resources and educational opportunities, by promoting professionalism, by encouraging and rewarding student excellence and teacher achievement, and by fostering an atmosphere which encompasses diversity yet builds unity.

Essex, Missouri - Richland R-1 Schools junior Parker Miller has been selected by the Missouri Journalism Education Association to be one of the first honorees to be named to the inaugural MJEA All-State Journalism Team.

Unlike other All-state honorees that can be recognized multiple years while in high school, his award is cumulative and can only be received once during a students’ high school career.

Miller was one of only 10 students throughout the state of Missouri selected for the team. Including this award, Miller has amassed seven different local, state, national and international awards for his photography in the 2014-2015 school year.

Richland’s yearbook, which Miller is the co-editor of this year, has received 21 different individual local, state, national and international photography awards during the 2014-2015 school year for their excellent photography work. The awards have come from various sources including: Jostens, Journalism Education Association, Quill and Scroll as well as others.

"The Missouri Journalism Education Association sponsors the annual All-State Journalism Team for Missouri high school students. Members of the 2015 team will be selected in the spring. The MJEA invites all its advisers to nominate students for this honor."

"The purpose of the All-State Journalism Team is to recognize those students who have proven themselves to be indispensable to their respective school media. Missouri has numerous journalism contests that recognize “bylined” excellence. The All-State Team recognizes those students who are “most valuable players” – those students whose leadership, energy, dedication and expertise make their publications possible but whose main contributions often occur behind the scenes."

"The Missouri All-State Journalism Team consists of the top students who practice excellent journalism in any of the following venues: newspaper, magazine, yearbook, broadcast, radio or online. All Missouri student journalists in grades 9-12 are eligible to be nominated. A student journalist must be nominated by his or her adviser. The adviser must be a member of the Missouri Journalism Education Association. Nominations may not exceed two students per school. Students are eligible to win the award once in their high school career."

Congratulations Parker!

Photo by Kyle Carter / Richland School

Essex, Missouri - Richland R-1 School eighth grader Emily Blunt shows off her first place medal after she recently received First Place in the Junior Division of History Day’s Individual Documentary Competition in Columbia.

Students in grades six through eight were in the junior group; high school students made up the senior group.

Blunt will represent the state of Missouri while competing in the National History Day Competition in June in Washington, D.C.

Blunt will also be competing in the National Junior Beta Photo Competition in Nashville, Tennessee, which is also in June.

"National History Day in Missouri, launched in 1980, is the state affiliate of National History Day. Each year, nearly half a million students nationwide—grades 6 to 12—participate in this innovative educational program. They conduct extensive research on a historical subject that they choose and present findings their way by creating documentaries, exhibits, papers, performances or websites.

The State Historical Society of Missouri, in partnership with the Missouri Humanities Council, administers National History Day in Missouri. Over 3,000 students participate in local and regional competitions each year, with nearly 600 advancing to the state contest at the University of Missouri in April.

Top winners in each category earn the opportunity to serve as Missouri delegates to the Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest in College Park, Maryland in June. Missouri's students represent the Show-Me State well, frequently bringing home medals in both the junior and senior divisions!"

Congratulations Emily Blunt!  We are proud of you!

Photo by Kate Wyman / Richland School

Essex, Missouri - Four Richland R-1 School seniors recently received scholarships from the SEMO Electric Foundation Board.

Each student will receive a check for $800 to attend a university or college of their choosing.

Joe Foster and Aime Whitney have chosen to attend Southeast Missouri State University in the fall.  Nickol Tilley will attend Three Rivers College.

Receiving the scholarships are from left: Joe Foster, Regan Manes, Nickol Tilley, and Aimee Whitney.

Photo by Skyler Harper, Richland High School senior.

Essex, Missouri - Four Richland R-1 School students were recognized last week with awards on the national level for their skill in photography.

Eighth grader Emily Blunt, junior Skie Pinkley, sophomore Katie Pinkley, and junior Parker Miller received photography awards.

Emily Blunt and Skie Pinkley both won national photography awards from Jostens, the high school yearbook publisher for Richland R-1 School.

Blunt’s photo “Fire Flowers” placed third in the nation in the Middle School/Junior High division.

Skie Pinkley’s photo, “One Last Selfie” won second place in the Graduation category of Josten’s national photo contest.

There were more than 5,000 photos submitted for the Jostens Photography Contest and Richland came away with two of the very coveted forty-six national awards.

Katie Pinkley and Parker Miller both received gold keys for placing in the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists’ 2015 International Writing and Photo Contest.

Miller won the over-all Sweepstakes in the Sports Photography division - meaning Miller’s sports photo entitled, “Re-Reb-Rebound” was voted as the number one photo in the entire contest with both U.S. and international entries.

Katie Pinkley won the National Award for Sports Photography for the state of Missouri. Her photo entitled “Grayson for Two,” was selected as the best sports in the state of Missouri.

No other school in Missouri placed in the Sports Photography Division of the Quill and Scroll contest, meaning Miller and Pinkley swept the state and the national-international voting.

Blunt and Skie Pinkley will receive camera gear as their prizes and their photos will be published in the upcoming 2015 Jostens Lookbook along with being on display last week at the Journalism Education Associations National Convention in Denver.



With their awards, Katie Pinkley and Parker Miller both receive the opportunity in their senior year to apply for for the Quill and Scroll scholarship that can be up to $1,500 for the college of their choice. This is the second win of the year for Miller, as in the fall he won first place in Student Life Photography at J-Day hosted at Southeast Missouri State University in September.

“I’m very proud of all of four of these students,” said Kyle Carter, yearbook advisor for Richland. “We have a very special yearbook staff and all of them enjoy honing their skills and competing on the biggest stages. I have been blessed to have great support from both my school board and my administration and well as some wonderful students to work with.”

Photo by Parker Miller / Richland School. - This photo entitled “Re-Reb-Rebound” was taken by Richland R-1 School junior Parker Miller shows Rebel senior Skyler Grayson, left, going up for a rebound against the Advance Hornets during their Stoddard County basketball game on January 16, 2015, in Advance, Missouri. The photo was taken with a mounted backboard camera that Miller remotely fired during the game using a wireless Pocket Wizard. He used a Canon 1Dx camera with a 16-35mm lens and it was shot at: 1/400 sec; f/5.6/ ISO 4000. Miller won the Sweepstakes Award, which is the grand prize award, for the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists’ 2015 International Writing and Photo Contest in the Sports Photography division for this award.

Photo by Katie Pinkley / Richland School - This photo entitled “Grayson for Two” was taken by sophomore Katie Pinkley and depicts Rebel senior Marcus Grayson putting up a shot over Zalma’s Christopher Lombeida during the second half of their game on January 23, 2015 at Richland R-1 School. The game was Richland’s Homecoming game, before which Katie Pinkley won the crown of Homecoming Queen. After taking the first half to greet all the fans, Pinkley in her red cocktail dress, high heels and tiara, picked up her camera and shot the second of the game - during which she captured this photo of Grayson. She used a Canon 1Dx camera with a 70-200mm lens and it was shot at 1/400 sec; f/3.2; ISO 3200. Pinkley won the National Award for the state of Missouri in the Sports Photography division - which is the title for the top photo in each division for each state for the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists’ 2015 International Writing and Photo Contest.

Photo by Skie Pinkley / Richland School - This photo entitled “The Last Selfie” was taken by Richland R-1, then sophomore, now junior Skie Pinkley and it depicts 2014 Richland graduates Ashley Lane, left, McKenzie Hillis and MacKenzie Williams taking a selfie in front of the school before their graduation on May 16, 2014 outside Essex, Missouri. The three seniors attended Richland R-1 School together from Kindergarten through their senior year. Pinkley used a Canon Rebel T3i for the photo with a 17-40mm lens and shot it at 1/64 sec; f/5.6; ISO 100. Pinkley received second place in the nation for this photo in the Jostens 2015 Photo Contest. This photo, along with her name, her advisor’s name and the school’s name will be included in the 2015 Jostens Lookbook that will be out later this year. Also, this photo was displayed last week at the National Journalism Education Association Conference in Denver, Colorado.

Photo by Emily Blunt / Richland School - This photo entitled “Fire Flower” was taken by Richland R-1 School eighth grader Emily Blunt and it depicts a craftsman using a torch to shape metal in the form of a tree leaf on October 28, 2014. While taking a photography class, Blunt’s assignment was to take an interesting photo of welders working with their craft. Blunt took this photo of the working end of a torch that is held by a lady in her 80s that makes these leaves as gifts for her friends and family. The variation of colors in the photo are created by the heating of the electrons to a higher quantum level, and the atoms emit characteristic colors (photons with energies corresponding to the visible spectrum) as they return to lower energy levels. Blunt used a Canon 70D with a 24-105mm lens and shot it at 1/16 sec; f/14; ISO 800. Blunt received third place in the nation in the Middle School/Junior High category of the Jostens 2015 Photo Contest. This photo, along with her name, her advisor’s name and the school’s name will be included in the 2015 Jostens Lookbook that will be out later this year. Also, this photo was displayed last week at the National Journalism Education Association Conference in Denver, Colorado.