U-46 student journalist to be honored Monday

On Monday, May 16, Elgin Area School District U-46 Board of Education will recognize a South Elgin High School student for her recent first place win in a state journalism competition.

Junior Anna Lee Ackermann placed first last month in the broadcast news category at the Illinois High School Association's journalism competition at Eastern Illinois University.

She vied against 20 Illinois students in the competition which consisted of recording a news conference and generating an audio news clip.

Anna Lee attends the BEACON Academy, which provides students with hands-on experience in audio and video production, broadcast, journalism and webcasting. She is the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, The Doppler.

"Anna Lee has been a wonderful addition to the Doppler staff since she joined her sophomore year," said Kari Botkin, South Elgin High English teacher and adviser of the The Doppler. "As a junior, she now excels in news writing and can cover all angles of a story via extensive interviews and quotes. Anna Lee also has a phenomenal work ethic which makes her a great asset to our staff."

To qualify for the state competition, Anna Lee had placed second in the IHSA's sectional journalism competition.

The board of education will recognize Anna Lee with an "Accent on Achievement" certificate at 7 p.m. Monday, May 16, during a board meeting in room 140 at the Educational Services Center, 355 E. Chicago St., Elgin.