Every day members of our community quietly celebrate milestones, achievements and accomplishments—big and small. We want to hear about them. This department highlights these triumphs for the community.
If you are sending a submission, include all details that apply—individuals’ names, details of the milestone and a contact name and phone number. If you have photos, send them. The submission deadline for October’s issue is Tuesday, Sept. 15. For best results, email editor@midcountymemo.com, or you can mail submissions to 3510 N.E. 134th Ave., Portland, OR 97230. Call 503-287-8904.
High school adviser 2015 Journalism Teacher of the Year
Nerissa Ediza of Parkrose High School has been named the 2015 Northwest Scholastic Press Journalism Teacher of the Year. She advises students who staff the Bronco Blaze, the PHS school newspaper.
COURTESY NWSP
Parkrose High School teacher Nerissa Ediza has been chosen as the Mary Hartman Oregon Journalism Teacher of the Year for 2015. Ediza has been the adviser of the Bronco Blaze for the past 12 years. The Blaze has been a perennial award winner at Northwest Scholastic Press Fall Press Day and the yearly Media Olympics during that time.
Ediza advises a publication that receives no district money for publishing or operations costs. Her leadership and dedication to fundraising has enabled the school to continue publishing a newspaper that dates back to the early 1900s. Her students have been candidates for top awards in the state and have continued on to study journalism in college and become professionals in the field.
Co-sponsored by the Oregon Journalism Education Association and Northwest Scholastic Press, the Journalism Teacher of the Year award comes with a $500 stipend that is awarded through an endowment by the Mary Hartman family. The award is named for Mary Hartman, a University of Oregon Journalism School faculty member and former director of Oregon Scholastic Press.
View the PHS newspaper at www.broncoblaze.com.
Girls are winners
The fun-loving Parkside Major Girls softball all-star team took second in state.
COURTESY MELISSA FRITZ
It’s been a good year for softball in Parkrose. Parkside and Beaumont Little League all-stars formed a combined team for post-season competition. Many of these girls have been playing together or against one another for five to seven years.
The junior team (13 and 14-year-olds) captured the District 2 title. Coached by Jack O’Neal, Colton O’Neal and Bobby Mora, they were crowned state champions and advanced to the regional tournament in Arizona.
The majors team (11 and 12-year-olds) are also District 2 champs and took second at the state tournament. Coaches are Steve Callas, Sean Mathers and Dennis Zimmer.
Not to be outdone, the minors team (9 and 10-year-olds), coached by Brad Perry and Sue Dockery, won the District 2 title by outscoring opponents 51 to 1 advancing to the state tournament at Centennial where they finished in second place as well.
