TeachersTalk

Esther Wojcicki
Esther Wojcicki, a 2007 Walt Clarkson Memorial Award for Excellence in Advising winner, teaches journalism at Palo Alto High School, in Palo Alto, California. In her time at Palo Alto, Esther has transformed the journalism program there from a small enterprise involving 19 students and a typewriter to a three-part program consisting of Broadcast Journalism, Magazine Journalism, and Newspaper Journalism. It is the largest journalism program in the country, involving almost 400 students and three journalism teachers, and it has garnered extensive national recognition. For example, The Campanile, the student newspaper she advises, was chosen as the most outstanding high school newspaper in the nation by Time Magazine and Time for Kids in 2002, and the website won two Webby Awards in 2005 (http://www.voice.paly.net/). In 2002, Esther was named California Teacher of the Year. She has written for several different publications, including The Los Angeles Times and Time Magazine, and has been the recipient of numerous awards. She received her Bachelor of the Arts and Master of Journalism degrees at University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of the Arts in Education Computer Technology at San Jose State University, in addition to completing several other programs at other schools.