Lalena Price, Author at West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Five WVPB Projects Are Finalists For NETA Public Media Awards

West Virginia Public Broadcasting has finalists in five categories of the 53rd Annual Public Media Awards, which celebrate the work of National Educational Telecommunications Association members. Winners will be announced in January.

Butch Antolini, WVPB’s interim executive director, said he’s proud of the WVPB team. “I’ve been with West Virginia Public Broadcasting only a short time, but I am impressed with the level of work I see being done here in service to West Virginians, and now a national educational organization recognizes it, too,” Antolini said. “To be finalists in categories that reward community initiatives and excellence in innovation is outstanding.”

West Virginia Public Broadcasting finalists include —

EXCELLENCE IN INNOVATION
WVPB’s Above And Beyond Award recognizes excellence and creativity in Mountain State teachers every month when a deserving teacher is rewarded with a host of prizes including cash and a signature Blenko glass blue apple paperweight. It was born from the extra effort we saw teachers putting in to help students during the pandemic.

TOPICAL DOCUMENTARY
Rosemary profiles the campaign of the first openly transgender person to be elected to public office in West Virginia. With the pandemic as the backdrop, the film follows Rosemary Ketchum’s campaign and election to Wheeling’s City Council in June 2020. It premiered in late October 2020 and can be viewed here.

There’s no right or wrong direction! Participants can use this map to visit each library by clicking on each county. While the path appears to be linear, children are encouraged to create their own path.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Library Pathfinders was an initiative for grades PreK-5 designed to give students in lockdown during the pandemic the opportunity to visit a handful of West Virginia libraries virtually. They could download the Pathfinder Journal to participate. Inaugural libraries include Burnsville Public Library, Mason County Library, Webster-Addison Public Library, Clay County Public Library and Boone-Madison Public Library.

COMMUNITY INITIATIVE
Read for the Record is an annual event created to engage elementary children throughout the nation on the same day each year. WVPB provided this national event on a local level to children across the Mountain State. More than 200 volunteers read the book, “Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away” by Meg Medina, to children in schools, libraries and youth organizations in all 55 counties.

NATIONAL PROJECT
THE PBS Writers Contest invites budding storytellers, avid writers and talented young illustrators to write stories for the annual contest, which kicked off during a time of lockdown for many students in the state. The contest was open to all students in grades K-5, including those in public and private schools, as well as those who are home schooled. First-, second- and third-place prizes were awarded at each grade level, and one winner had his story animated by WVPB’s television production team.

• • •

Category winners will be announced during the 53rd Annual Public Media Awards Gala presented by Georgia Public Broadcasting on January 25, 2022, as part of the NETA Conference and CPB Public Media Thought Leader Forum. Awards were judged by a group of expert panelists from within the public media system, as well as industry professionals working outside of public media. Except for the overall excellence categories, stations competed within their appropriate divisions based on their station size.

A gallery of all finalists can be found here.

Cabell County PE Teacher Earns WVPB's Above And Beyond Award

Matthew Adkins, an elementary school teacher in Cabell County, has earned West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Above and Beyond Award, which recognizes the excellence and creativity of Mountain State teachers.

Adkins, who teaches physical education at Spring Hill Elementary School in Huntington, joins the ranks of West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Above And Beyond winners. He was presented with a monetary award, signature Blenko Above And Beyond blue apple paperweight, and a host of other special gifts made possible through the generous sponsorship of the West Virginia State Treasurer’s Office, presenter of the SMART529 college savings program in the Mountain State.

“I am a teacher because I love kids. I love seeing light bulbs go off. I love to see progress,” Adkins said. “I teach PE because I love to stay active, and I think physical activity is key to living a long, happy, and more valuable life. I try to expose my students to as many things as possible. We do everything from soccer to gaga ball to disc golf and silly games like hungry, hungry hippos.”

He said as kids get to the 4th or 5th grade, they become less active and uninterested in gym class. Many don’t like team sports like football, basketball, soccer or baseball, and they get embarrassed because gaps in skill level are too drastic for those team sports to be enjoyable for everyone.

“So instead of focusing time on the most popular activities, I like to expose them to things that they can do the rest of their lives,” said Adkins, who secured funding through two Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scout projects and his connection in regional sports communities to build one of Cabell County’s first GaGa Ball Pits, a disc golf course, and a loop trail in the woods next to his school that can be utilized for exercise and as an outdoor learning space for the natural sciences.

“I just want them to be active. That’s where the idea of the nature trail came from. I want them to fall in love with the smells, the sound of the wind through the trees and all the wonderful things that come with hiking. Being in an urban setting, it’s nice to give not only the school a space to explore, but the community, too,” Adkins said.

Adkins was nominated by Dave Lavender, assistant scoutmaster of Boy Scouts of America Troop 21, after he worked with the teacher on those special projects to take physical education outside for students. He said Adkins is an inspiring teacher who is always ready to play, take time to listen and get his students involved in recreation and wellness on their levels.

“As someone who was on the board of Create Huntington, Adkins is a natural community connector who people want to help because of his passion and hustle for his school and his students,” Lavender said, adding that Adkins is “ahead of the curve and national trends” for dreaming and building out his elementary school as a safe neighborhood play space and urban greenspace, which has become increasingly recognized as necessary for public wellness in the wake of COVID.

“In today’s complex digital world and in West Virginia where we have so many at-risk kids and kids growing up in trauma, Matt truly understands the absolute necessity for kids to unplug from their devices and get out and play. To do so, he is helping create a myriad of ways for them to engage in physical activity, and to be in nature to stimulate learning and to help foster mental well-being.”

Visit wvpublic.org to nominate a deserving teacher today.

Communities In Schools Documentary Airs Nov. 26

For many children in West Virginia staying focused on academics is challenging because outside influences such as poverty, broken families, substance abuse, and mental health issues can contribute to a child falling behind in school. Sometimes these realities can lead a child to drop out of school.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting presents Communities in Schools: Extending a Helping Hand, a half-hour documentary about a national education program that helps connect public schools with community resources to ensure every child is nurtured, supported, and helped to flourish in school with the goal of graduating.

Communities In Schools: Extending A Helping Hand which shares the stories of young West Virginians that have been helped by the program. It airs Friday, Nov. 26, at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. and will be available on WVPB’s streaming service, Passport, thereafter.

First Lady Cathy Justice has been a champion of the Communities in Schools program and was successful in getting the West Virginia Legislature to fund an initial pilot program in three counties in 2018. “When you go into schools, you see this need, and it doesn’t matter if you’re in the southern part, northern part, no matter where you are in the state, children are the same, their needs are the same,” Justice said. “They want to be loved, they want to be cared for.”

At right, Cathy Justice, First Lady of West Virginia, reads to students at Oakvale Elementary School in Princeton, West Virginia. Justice was integral to securing state funding for an initial pilot program of Communities in Schools. WVPB-TV presents Commu nities In Schools: Extending A Helping Hand Friday, Nov. 26, at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

West Virginia is a licensed Communities in Schools, or CIS partner, following the national organization’s evidence-based model, and receiving the latest data, research and professional development training. Under the national model, a county board of education hires a site coordinator who is assigned to a specific school to identify and meet student needs. Assistance for a child may come in the form of a tutor to help with a class subject, a uniform or instrument to enable participation in band, or in some cases, desperately needed health care services.

Communities in Schools is now in 31 counties in West Virginia. With its current appropriation of $4.9 million from the legislature, additional existing county school funds, and corporate sponsors, it serves 70,000 students in more than 170 schools across the state.

Justice said she’ll continue to advocate for its expansion into all 55 counties. “I want them to have pride — pride in themselves, pride in what they do, and not be ashamed of anything — because I want them to know that they can get all the help that they need to achieve anything they want to do,” Justice added. “And that’s hard for a lot of children to accept because they may have been defeated a lot of their lives, so we just want them to feel great about themselves, encourage them, and just know that they can be the very best they can be.”

The local corporate support component is vital to the program’s success. Community partners make ongoing donations of goods, services, time and money. They include department stores, grocery stores, art supply shops, medical providers, banks, and other private, for-profit and non-profit businesses and organizations.

Bobby Blakley is Regional President for Truist Bank, a corporate sponsor of the local CIS effort. Blakley is featured in the WVPB broadcast. “We are not a nonprofit organization, but our mission to serve our shareholders can coexist with helping the world be a better place,” Blakley said. “When our communities succeed, we succeed as an organization. I think my vision would be that we could expand Communities in Schools and get other companies, other corporations to support it, to continue to get behind it, because it absolutely does make a difference, and it takes money to do that, to put a coordinator in every school.”

WVPB's John Nakashima Wins Lifetime Achievement Award

John Nakashima, a longtime senior television producer and director with West Virginia Public Broadcasting, has won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Virginias Associated Press Broadcasters Awards ceremony at The Greenbrier Resort today. The WVPB news team also won seven first and two second place awards.

“I’m honored to receive this Lifetime Achievement Award, but I’m certainly not finished,” Nakashima said. “What an experience for my body of work to be recognized up to this point and for the wonderfully warm congratulations I received from the Virginias Associated Press Broadcasters. I’m now looking forward to making as many documentaries as I can as long as I can.”

Nakashima has produced, directed, shot, written, and edited documentaries and music programs for public television in the Mountain State since 1977. His work explores West Virginia culture in the widest sense — including visual and performing arts, traditional and modern culture, historical documentaries, and contemporary issues. This Lifetime Achievement Award joins other awards for Nakashima, including multiple Regional Emmys, a Citizen of the Year distinction, and West Virginia Filmmaker of the Year 2013, to name a few.

Butch Antolini, WVPB’s interim director, said Nakashima has much to be proud of. “John Nakashima’s filmmaking legacy is impressive, and all of us at West Virginia Public Broadcasting are glad he’s been recognized by such a prestigious group as the Virginias Associated Press Broadcasters,” Antolini said. “We’re also quite proud of the many awards brought home by the news team.”

Members of WVPB’s news team won awards in categories from Best Spot News to Best Investigative Reporting. Andrea Billups serves as news director for the statewide public media outlet.

“From features to in-depth reporting, and spot news to editorials, these awards showcase the depth of strong journalism that occurs at West Virginia Public Broadcasting,” Billups said. “We are incredibly proud of our work, proud to be journalists in this era, and proud to have support from our many listeners and followers across the state and region. We are all invested in doing the kind of work that elevates and shines a light on issues facing our state.”

WVPB winners in the Radio I Metro division include:

Best Spot News
First Place, Dave Mistich for “There’s an Endpoint: First Group in West Virginia Vaccinated for COVID-19”

Best Documentary or In-Depth
First Place, Roxy Todd, Mason Adams and Jessica Lilly for “Finding a Way Forward”
Second Place, Trey Kay and Kyle Vass for “Us & Them: Without a Home Can You Be a Good Neighbor?”

Best Light Feature
Second Place, Emily Allen for “Wrestlers and Fans Venture ‘Out of the Darkness’ With Drive-In Show”

Best Editorial or Editorial Series
First Place, Trey Kay for “Us & Them: Let Us Bind Up the Nation’s Wounds.”

Best Specialty Reporting
First Place, Caitlin Tan for “Folktales and Music Bring to Life the West Virginia/Welsh Connection.”

Best Investigative Reporting
First Place, Dave Mistich and Brittany Patterson for “Coal Operator Who Fought Against Black Lung Regulations Files for Black Lung Benefits.”

Best Radio News Anchor
First Place, Jessica Lilly for “Appalachian Strength in the Face of a Pandemic.”

Best Mountain State Heritage
First Place, Zack Harold for “A Family Cultivates Tradition With a Nearly-Forgotten Tomato.”

During the organization’s annual meeting, Eric Douglas, WVPB’s assistant news director, was elected to the board of directors and will serve alongside Jessica Lilly.

WVPB’s former intern from West Virginia University, Duncan Slade, won a $1,500 scholarship.

Mercer County Science Teacher Is October's Above And Beyond Winner

Teresa Barton, a high school teacher from Mercer County, has earned West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Above and Beyond Award, which recognizes excellence and creativity in Mountain State teachers.

The veteran science teacher from PikeView High School in Princeton, West Virginia, kicks off WVPB’s second cohort of Above And Beyond teachers. In all, 12 teachers will be honored in the coming months, thanks to a new sponsor, the West Virginia State Treasurer’s Office, presenter of the SMART529 college savings program in the Mountain State.

“The SMART529 educational savings program and my office are proud to partner with West Virginia Public Broadcasting to honor teachers who go above and beyond in the classroom,” State Treasurer Riley Moore said. “Education is vital to a successful economy, and West Virginia teachers are the key to inspiring future generations. As an advocate for educational opportunities, I know one of the best places to start is by recognizing and promoting the tremendous work being done by teachers in the classroom.”

Sponsorship funds allowed WVPB to present exceptional teachers like Barton with a monetary award, a signature Blenko Above And Beyond blue apple paperweight, and a host of other special gifts. She said she’s honored to be considered a WVPB Above And Beyond teacher and explained that a love of education is in her DNA. “I come from a very long line of educators — mother, sister, aunts, uncles, great-aunts, great-uncles and many cousins. So, my family values education,” Barton said. “I hope to inspire my students to also value their education — and learning — to help better their futures. I enjoy teaching and sharing my love of science with my students. I am humbled.”

Barton has taught for more than 38 years. She was nominated by her sister and fellow PikeView teacher, Peggy Moore. “Mrs. Barton is my sister, but I am also blessed to teach in the same school with her. This allows me to experience first-hand just how awesome she truly is,” Moore said. “She took on a new course at PikeView High School for which we had nothing but textbooks. She has researched the field of forensics and has come up with original labs, engaging lessons and field trips (pre-COVID) that drew students to sign up for her class.”

As chair of the school’s Science Department, Barton has many roles outside of classroom instruction. She also is treasurer of her Faculty Senate and active on the Leadership Committee and Local School Improvement Council. She is the sponsor for the Health and Career Sciences Club, Academic Bowl, Science Bowl and West Virginia Bridge competitions. She oversees the school’s Project Graduation event and is also a member of the executive committee of the West Virginia Science Teachers Association. In her community, Barton is an active member of the Athens Lions Club and also works with the U.S. Army Junior Officer Training Corps (JROTC) students to do Adopt-A-Highway roadside cleanups near the school.

Barton makes her sister proud. “Over the years, she has developed skill sets to help students perform to the best of their ability … She genuinely cares for her students, as can be witnessed by the number of students who come back to visit her year after year,” Moore said.

Nominate a deserving teacher today.

October’s WVPB Above And Beyond winner Teresa Barton, front center, poses with her award and several students from PikeView High School in Princeton, West Virginia.

So, We Picked Up Our National Murrow Awards…

West Virginia Public Broadcasting brought home two National Edward R. Murrow Awards this week for demonstrating the spirit of excellence that famed journalist Murrow set as a standard for the profession of electronic journalism.

Trey Kay, host of Us & Them, education reporter Liz McCormick and production team member Janet Kunicki picked up the awards at the ceremony in New York City Wednesday.

Trey Kay, right, is presented a National Murrow Award for the News Documentary category in a ceremony in New York City Wednesday.

WVPB staffers Janet Kunicki, left, and Liz McCormick, right, attend the National Murrow Awards Gala in New York City Wednesday.

WVPB competes in the Small Market Radio Division, Region 8, which includes West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. The Radio Television Digital News Association has been honoring outstanding achievements in electronic journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971. WVPB’s two national Murrow Award winners include:

News Documentary, Grandfamilies of the Opioid Crisis, by Trey Kay, host of Us & Them, with assistance from Samantha Gattsek. In this episode, we explore how chemical addictions and the opioid crisis have divided millions of U.S. families. Addicted parents can abandon responsibilities for their children, and when a grandparent steps in, it creates a new kind of family structure some call a grandfamily, a generational divide.

Excellence in Video, Despite Increasing Demand, Some W.Va. Apple Farmers Struggle, by Roxy Todd, producer of Inside Appalachia, with reporting assistance from Education reporter Liz McCormick and video production expertise from Janet Kunicki, John Hale and Daniel Walker. Inside Appalachia looks at the apple industry in West Virginia as the cider industry experiences a surge. Some people think it’s an economic development opportunity the state is overlooking.