It is 11:03 a.m. on Wednesday, August 23. For broadcast adviser, Katrina Berry-Ivy, it is just like any other second block. She helps her students edit, write, and proof their stories for their weekly newscast, WTHS. Little does Berry-Ivy know what she will find out when she sits down to open emails.  She opens an email from a fellow Tupelo adviser, Shari Chumley and sees a congratulatory message and that is how she finds out she was named a JEA Rising Star for her dedication to her program and the state of Mississippi. Meanwhile, in Oxford, Mississippi Scholastic Press Association (MSPA) director, Dr. RJ Morgan was calling Berry-Ivy in a race to relay the news first.

According to JEA the Rising Star Award is awarded to advisers that are in their first five years of advising a media program and must have success advising one media program. Advisers have to foster an understanding of the First Amendment in their students, encourage students to attend conventions and workshops, seek professional development opportunities, and show commitment to continually improve their program.

Berry-Ivy was a WTVA morning anchor before starting her teaching career but decided to leave WTVA in order to spend more time with her family.

“As the morning anchor, I had to get up at 2:30 in the morning, every day, to be able to say ‘good morning, North Mississippi’ at 4:30 in the morning, I was on the anchor desk at 3:45 for cut-ins to start at 4:00 am. My children were getting older, their events were getting later in the evening. And when you’re morning anchor, you have to go to bed at a certain time. And so I totally stepped out on faith and chose not to renew a contract with WTVA,” Berry-Ivy said.

The adviser took a chance on faith and let God put her when she needed to be. She applied to a non-profit organization and a bank before learning that Tupleo High School needed a broadcast teacher.

“A member of that [non-profit] organization said, ‘Hey, I think you would’ve have been great here. But have you considered Tupelo High School? They need a teacher.’  And my first response was, ‘I’m not a teacher.’ She contacted Art Dobbs and asked if I could apply. Mr. Dobbs said ‘absolutely, yes’,” Berry-Ivy said.

The journey to teaching broadcast was unexpected. Her co-workers and family supported her every step of the way.

“[My WTVA coworkers] were throwing me a going away party, and they were like, ‘You don’t have a job.’ And I was like, ‘I’ll be fine, the Lord’s gonna provide’ and they’re like, ‘…Katrina...’ I’m like, ‘I will be fine.’ I told the boys [my sons], ‘Look, we’re going to be on a budget, but we’ll be okay.’ At 4:30 that day, Mr. Dobbs called and offered me the job at Tupelo High School,” Berry-Ivy said.

She started teaching in January of 2019. The organization of the WTHS show changed drastically in order to better educate students about the production of a newscast. In the past, WTHS was skit-based but under her direction, it transitioned to news based.

The cast learned to persevere through hurdles like the pandemic. Students did stories virtually while they were at home. The show was produced with two anchors before COVID, but due to social distancing, only one anchor could be on the desk. Interviews had to be done via Zoom call or video chat.

“She inherited a fractured working environment and a broadcast that was mostly humorous and juvenile, but she turned it into a statewide powerhouse in short order,” Morgan said in a press release written by JEA

Their adjustments and hard work paid off when WTHS won Newscast of the Year at the Mississippi Scholastic Press Association (MSPA) in 2022. The awards ceremony was virtual that year due to inclement weather.

“We cried because we were coming out of COVID. We had stripped the show to bare bones so that there could be a show,” Berry-Ivy said.

In addition to being recognized state-wide, they were recognized regionally and nationally. WTHS joined the Southern Interscholastic Press Association (SIPA) in 2020. The program was named a Gold News Program in 2022 by the Student Television Network (STN). Student Television Network is a national program that focuses on bettering student-run broadcasts. The network recognizes excelling programs throughout the country.

“[WTHS] competes regionally in the Southern Interscholastic Press Association. They also compete nationally through the Journalism Education Association and Student Television Network. So the goal for the program is to be consistently recognized as a national award-winning program,” Berry-Ivy said.

WTHS was named Newscast Of The Year in 2023 at MSPA and named a Silver News Program by the Student Television Network. It came as a surprise to the adviser and her students.

“I had just graduated 18 seniors. I had six returning students. So silver was a huge accomplishment when your staff is mostly new,” Berry-Ivy said.

Many of Berry-Ivy’s students have earned individual awards and Berry-Ivy loves helping them grow as people and journalists.

“Several of [students] have been recognized as an All Mississippi Honoree. And that’s such a compliment to their work ethic, their integrity, their dedication, and they still continue to bring me so much joy,” Berry-Ivy said.

Six of her students have been named as All Mississippi Honorees. This represents the finest example of a student journalist in the state of Mississippi. To be an All Mississippi Honoree student journalists submit a portfolio with all of their work. The portfolios go through at least four rounds of judges

The students are close friends and that bond comes through in each one of their shows. The students collaborate to bring the show to life. They mix work and fun while producing the show. Berry-Ivy hosts celebrations for WTHS for holidays and accomplishments to foster bonds in the program.

“So our philosophy in this class is that it’s a family. And once you’re part of a WTHS family, you’re always a part of the WTHS family,” Berry-Ivy said.

Berry-Ivy also serves on both MSPA and SIPA advisery boards. The advisery board meets every summer to discuss contests, MSPA’s annual fall and spring conventions and curriculum.

“[Berry-Ivy] has been an excellent board member and always brings fantastic ideas and just a wonderful energy and can-do spirit to those discussions. She’s a valuable part of MSPA in the same way that she is with her own programs and her own students,” Morgan said

Berry-Ivy joined the JEA mentor program as a mentee. In the mentor program, new advisers are paired with an adviser who is experienced in running a publication. New advisers can ask questions and improve their groups with the help of their mentors. AJ Chambers, broadcast adviser at Richland Northeast in Columbia, South Carolina, was Berry-Ivy’s mentor. He was JEA’s 2021 Broadcast Adviser of the Year. Berry-Ivy took the information she learned from her mentor to help reshape the program.

“I have graduated from a mentor-mentee program, but I still see him as a mentor. We probably talk two or three times a week,” Berry-Ivy said.

Berry-Ivy also talks to other advisers in Mississippi. The advisers focus on bettering each other’s programs and give suggestions about how to improve each other’s shows. Berry-Ivy often talks to Bruin New Now adviser Terry Cassreino who was named National JEA Broadcast Adviser of the Year for 2023.

“I talk with Bruin News Now, twice a week. ‘Hey, check out our show.’ ‘This is a neat story.’  [Cassreino will]  watch our show and say what he liked. And I’m like, ‘Oh, I like the energy of this person.’” Berry-Ivy said.

Advisers around Mississippi cheer and lean on each other. Berry-Ivy and Cassreino set a new standard for Mississippi scholastic journalism.

“It is the first time [the state of Mississippi] has had any individual national honors from JEA. So it’s the first time we’ve ever had a rising star in state history. It’s the first time we’ve ever had a Broadcast Adviser of the Year in state history. And they both happened the same year within a few days of each other,” Morgan said.

This story was originally published on The Current on October 3, 2023.