News

Kandell named 'journalism teacher of the year'

National award comes from Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, to be presented in November

Palo Alto High School journalism teacher Paul Kandell has been named 2009 National Journalism Teacher of the Year by the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund.

Kandell advises two cutting-edge journalism enterprises at Paly that publish the combined work of some 200 students. He also teaches beginning journalism and is a teacher-adviser for 10th-, 11th- and 12th-graders.

He has been involved in designing the planned new media arts building at Paly and immersed in a quest to give students a taste of the future of journalism.

"All of (Paly's five publications) will cease to be in the form they are in now," Kandell said Monday.

"For example, the Viking is now a sports magazine. But in the future there's going to be sports online, sports on Twitter, sports video, and they want to make the Viking the brand name you pursue for all of those.

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"The Campanile (student newspaper) will have its own personality that will go cross-platform. That's where we're headed."

In addition to a traditional yearbook, Paly has four student publications: the Campanile student newspaper, the Verde magazine, the Viking sports magazine and the online features enterprise known as the Voice. The Voice carries content from its own staff as well as material from the Campanile, Verde and the Viking.

Kandell is faculty advisor to the Voice and to Verde. Paly also has a broadcast journalism program known as InFocus.

Kandell worked with other journalism teachers and architects to help design Paly's new media arts building using "six principles" for the future of journalism. The principles include "being "multi-platform, promoting innovation, promoting collaboration and embodying transparency," Kandell said.

The two-story, 19,230-square-foot media arts building will hold eight classrooms, a darkroom, a broadcast TV studio, editing rooms, a computer lab, conference rooms, offices, a cafe and restrooms. Most will face into a large atrium.

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Kandell joined Paly in 2000 after teaching English and journalism at San Francisco's Lowell High School for four years.

But that was not his first encounter with Palo Alto.

Working as a San Francisco stringer for Newsweek in 1994, he was sent to Palo Alto to write a story about how middle class people -- even professionals -- were having trouble affording homes.

Today Kandell and his wife Jacqueline, a French teacher at JLS Middle School, live "on the edges of Palo Alto, just outside, in Mountain View." Their two children attend Ohlone Elementary School and JLS under a program that allows children of employees enroll in the district.

Kandell said he will accept the award in November on behalf of his media arts colleagues at Paly, including Esther Wojcicki, Ellen Austin, Mike McNulty, Margo Wixsom and Ron Williamson.

"Most people have no idea the level of talent and leadership this campus has in media arts," he said if his fellow teachers. "They're an amazing group, one that has shared a vision of what journalism education can and should be."

Kandell has been involved in journalism education nationally, presenting at conferences and serving as a board member of the Journalism Education Association of Northern California and member of the Advisory Council Steering Committee for the Student Press Law Center.

He has developed an eight-week journalism program in East Palo Alto designed specifically to encourage Paly students who live there to take journalism classes during the school year. He also developed a workshop at San Francisco State University for advisers wanting to move their journalism programs to the Web.

He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley, a master's in journalism from the University of Missouri and a secondary credential in English from San Francisco State University.

The Dow Jones Newspaper Fund encourages high school and college students to pursue journalism careers, and publishes a newspaper for high school journalism teachers. The "teacher of the year" awards include attendance at several major conventions and seminars, a laptop for the Paly journalism program and a $1,000 scholarship for a Paly senior to pursue journalism studies.

Photos by Marc Havlik of the Web Journalism and Campanile school newspaper staffs.

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Kandell named 'journalism teacher of the year'

National award comes from Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, to be presented in November

by / Palo Alto Online

Uploaded: Tue, Sep 15, 2009, 12:11 am

Palo Alto High School journalism teacher Paul Kandell has been named 2009 National Journalism Teacher of the Year by the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund.

Kandell advises two cutting-edge journalism enterprises at Paly that publish the combined work of some 200 students. He also teaches beginning journalism and is a teacher-adviser for 10th-, 11th- and 12th-graders.

He has been involved in designing the planned new media arts building at Paly and immersed in a quest to give students a taste of the future of journalism.

"All of (Paly's five publications) will cease to be in the form they are in now," Kandell said Monday.

"For example, the Viking is now a sports magazine. But in the future there's going to be sports online, sports on Twitter, sports video, and they want to make the Viking the brand name you pursue for all of those.

"The Campanile (student newspaper) will have its own personality that will go cross-platform. That's where we're headed."

In addition to a traditional yearbook, Paly has four student publications: the Campanile student newspaper, the Verde magazine, the Viking sports magazine and the online features enterprise known as the Voice. The Voice carries content from its own staff as well as material from the Campanile, Verde and the Viking.

Kandell is faculty advisor to the Voice and to Verde. Paly also has a broadcast journalism program known as InFocus.

Kandell worked with other journalism teachers and architects to help design Paly's new media arts building using "six principles" for the future of journalism. The principles include "being "multi-platform, promoting innovation, promoting collaboration and embodying transparency," Kandell said.

The two-story, 19,230-square-foot media arts building will hold eight classrooms, a darkroom, a broadcast TV studio, editing rooms, a computer lab, conference rooms, offices, a cafe and restrooms. Most will face into a large atrium.

Kandell joined Paly in 2000 after teaching English and journalism at San Francisco's Lowell High School for four years.

But that was not his first encounter with Palo Alto.

Working as a San Francisco stringer for Newsweek in 1994, he was sent to Palo Alto to write a story about how middle class people -- even professionals -- were having trouble affording homes.

Today Kandell and his wife Jacqueline, a French teacher at JLS Middle School, live "on the edges of Palo Alto, just outside, in Mountain View." Their two children attend Ohlone Elementary School and JLS under a program that allows children of employees enroll in the district.

Kandell said he will accept the award in November on behalf of his media arts colleagues at Paly, including Esther Wojcicki, Ellen Austin, Mike McNulty, Margo Wixsom and Ron Williamson.

"Most people have no idea the level of talent and leadership this campus has in media arts," he said if his fellow teachers. "They're an amazing group, one that has shared a vision of what journalism education can and should be."

Kandell has been involved in journalism education nationally, presenting at conferences and serving as a board member of the Journalism Education Association of Northern California and member of the Advisory Council Steering Committee for the Student Press Law Center.

He has developed an eight-week journalism program in East Palo Alto designed specifically to encourage Paly students who live there to take journalism classes during the school year. He also developed a workshop at San Francisco State University for advisers wanting to move their journalism programs to the Web.

He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley, a master's in journalism from the University of Missouri and a secondary credential in English from San Francisco State University.

The Dow Jones Newspaper Fund encourages high school and college students to pursue journalism careers, and publishes a newspaper for high school journalism teachers. The "teacher of the year" awards include attendance at several major conventions and seminars, a laptop for the Paly journalism program and a $1,000 scholarship for a Paly senior to pursue journalism studies.

Photos by Marc Havlik of the Web Journalism and Campanile school newspaper staffs.

Comments

Evan
Crescent Park
on Sep 15, 2009 at 10:15 am
Evan, Crescent Park
on Sep 15, 2009 at 10:15 am

PaKa! I had him at Paly, and it's great to see him getting some recognition. The Voice (Web Link was and is many years ahead of the curve, and a lot of that is thanks to him.


Jim
Old Palo Alto
on Sep 15, 2009 at 10:42 am
Jim, Old Palo Alto
on Sep 15, 2009 at 10:42 am

Congratulations to Paul! My daughter is very excited to have his class in second semester this year. That is a great honor for him and for Paly.


Marc & Helen Zucker
Old Palo Alto
on Sep 15, 2009 at 10:45 am
Marc & Helen Zucker, Old Palo Alto
on Sep 15, 2009 at 10:45 am

As friends and fellow parents we see Pauls dedication to his students and his craft everyday. This recogniton is well deserved, we are very lucky to have Paul in our school district.

Congratulations!

Marc & Helen Zucker


Annie Jenkins
Ohlone School
on Sep 15, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Annie Jenkins, Ohlone School
on Sep 15, 2009 at 12:31 pm

Great work Paul! Congratulations.


Sylvia
Midtown
on Sep 15, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Sylvia, Midtown
on Sep 15, 2009 at 1:33 pm

What a great article! I moved to Palo Alto after my child was grown and had left the nest, so I never had a child enrolled Palo Alto schools. But I always vote for every measure to keep our schools in the top rank. I'm sure it's because of our excellent reputation that a fine teacher like Paul Kendall left Lowell High School


Cara
Midtown
on Sep 15, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Cara, Midtown
on Sep 15, 2009 at 5:01 pm

And he's a great Ohlone parent and soccer coach too! Congratulation, Paul!


Student journalist
Palo Alto High School
on Sep 15, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Student journalist, Palo Alto High School
on Sep 15, 2009 at 8:55 pm

"Most people have no idea the level of talent and leadership this campus has in media arts," he said if his fellow teachers. "They're an amazing group, one that has shared a vision of what journalism education can and should be."

I think they mean, "of his fellow teachers" not "if"
Just my inner editor.


Student journalist
Palo Alto High School
on Sep 15, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Student journalist, Palo Alto High School
on Sep 15, 2009 at 8:56 pm

And way to go Mr. Kandell!


Abby L
Palo Alto High School
on Sep 15, 2009 at 9:54 pm
Abby L, Palo Alto High School
on Sep 15, 2009 at 9:54 pm

Mr. Kandell, or PKandy as we affectionately call him on Voice, is the best adviser I could ever hope to have. He constantly pushes us to produce the best possible student journalism, and his piercing late-night emails always keep us editors on our toes. Thank you for everything you've done for us, PKandy! Voice wouldn't be Voice without you.
-Abby, editor-in-chief of http://voice.paly.net


E.G. Meyers
another community
on Sep 15, 2009 at 9:56 pm
E.G. Meyers, another community
on Sep 15, 2009 at 9:56 pm

Well done & well deserved. I'm still available as a guest speaker....just call.


Phil
Community Center
on Sep 15, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Phil, Community Center
on Sep 15, 2009 at 11:00 pm

That journalism program at Paly is a thing to behold. The students who study journalism there are fortunate to have a faculty that would make most university-level Journalism departments proud.


Theresa Carey
Crescent Park
on Sep 16, 2009 at 11:45 am
Theresa Carey, Crescent Park
on Sep 16, 2009 at 11:45 am

A well-deserved honor -- long overdue as far as I'm concerned. Congratulations, Paul and Paly journalism.


Caroline W
Duveneck/St. Francis
on Sep 16, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Caroline W, Duveneck/St. Francis
on Sep 16, 2009 at 10:46 pm

Yay PaKa! Congrats! Mr. Kandell is truly an amazing teacher. Verde and the rest of the Paly publications are all extremely fortunate to have him working at Paly. The Cinderella balloon was well deserved!


Haydeh & Mohammad Moussavian
Palo Alto High School
on Sep 18, 2009 at 12:29 am
Haydeh & Mohammad Moussavian, Palo Alto High School
on Sep 18, 2009 at 12:29 am

Paul and Jacqui are great friends and wonderful teachers in Palo Alto. Congratulations on a well deserved award.

Haydeh and Mohammad Moussavian


Eliezer Snoyman
another community
on Sep 18, 2009 at 2:04 am
Eliezer Snoyman, another community
on Sep 18, 2009 at 2:04 am

Congratulations Great-Uncle Paul!!! We're so proud of you, even from half-way around the world!

Love, Elie


Leslie Shen
Palo Alto High School
on Sep 20, 2009 at 1:03 am
Leslie Shen, Palo Alto High School
on Sep 20, 2009 at 1:03 am

Being a part of Paly journalism with Mr. Kandell is unforgettable. Students in his class feel motivated and challenged, but above all empowered to become leaders. Thanks so much, Pkandy-- and congratulations!


Perspective
Midtown
on Sep 20, 2009 at 7:33 am
Perspective, Midtown
on Sep 20, 2009 at 7:33 am

I was always impressed by Paly's coverage of local issues. They work hard at telling all the news items, in a fair and balanced way, not just what they wish the news would be to manipulate people into believing as they believe. A rare gem. Now I know who to thank for teaching them correctly!

Thank you. I hope that every student of yours goes on to remake our news media to report in a similar "rest of the story" manner at the State, National and International level. We are in desperate need of such truth-tellers at AP, almost all of our newspapers, and alphabet soup news media!


Doreen Bloch
Menlo Park
on Sep 21, 2009 at 10:38 am
Doreen Bloch, Menlo Park
on Sep 21, 2009 at 10:38 am

Mr. Kandell is one-of-a-kind and I am absolutely thrilled that he has been given this prestigious award!! He deserves this recognition wholeheartedly. He is an incredible teacher, holding his students to the highest journalism standards in quality and ethics, and it has been an honor studying journalism from him for three of my four years in high school. He is truly a mentor, and instills in his students a love of journalism.

Because of the journalism program at Paly that he was so instrumental in creating along with the other stellar teachers at the school, classes of students each year graduate from Paly with a great appreciate and passion for media, and an understanding of the importance it has in our society.

Congratulations Mr. Kandell and thank you for giving so many of us a great love for media, and an ability and passion to perfect it through our own practices within the field. Thank you and congrats!!


Journalist
Duveneck/St. Francis
on Sep 25, 2009 at 11:10 am
Journalist, Duveneck/St. Francis
on Sep 25, 2009 at 11:10 am

Hooray for Mr. Kandell. He definitely deserves this award.


Julia
Palo Alto High School
on Mar 27, 2014 at 11:10 pm
Julia, Palo Alto High School
on Mar 27, 2014 at 11:10 pm

Mr. Kandell was my favorite English teacher at Paly! He is phenomenal!


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