Clubb recognized for journalism excellence
Owatonna’s Jonny Clubb stands with his runner-up award from the Minnesota Journalist of the Year competition from the Journalism Education Association. Clubb will be pursuing journalism in college after he graduates from Owatonna High School this spring. Photo from Twitter
The future of journalism is no doubt in good hands as current Owatonna High School student Jonny Clubb was recognized last week by the Journalism Education Association as the runner-up for the Minnesota Journalist of the Year award.
Clubb, the current editor-in-chief of OHS publication The Magnet, received the award after submitting multiple letters of recommendation and a portfolio of work from his time as a reporter, editor and photographer for The Magnet.
“It’s really fun, and it definitely makes me feel more confident going into college to pursue journalism. I’ll likely be going out of state, and to have that experience and background to bring with me from my time with The Magnet is something that I’ll always be grateful for,” said Clubb.
According to the senior, his next destination for school is still unknown; however, what he does know is that he is ready to explore multiple different paths in the journalism world.
As a current student-athlete on the baseball team and a lifelong fan of the game, Clubb said that his dream job would be that of television play-by-play announcer Dick Bremer.
Yet, with only a few months left of his final school year in Owatonna, the senior also took time to reflect on his progression in journalism since that first day in class four years ago.
“I remember going into journalism class the first day of my freshman year and being nervous to go talk to pretty much anybody. My first story was about a new hire in the school office, and I can picture how nervous I was going into that interview. Nowadays I feel like I can talk to anybody. Also, I feel like my writing has improved so much over the four years. It’s been the best experience.”
Another part of Clubb’s experience that he feels deserves the spotlight has been that of the school administration – especially his journalism teacher, Jessica Wagner.
“Wagner is the best. The way she works with all of us and the lessons she’s taught us are ones that we’ll keep with us long after we leave. Our administration as a whole has been really helpful too. I know a lot of schools aren’t as fortunate as we are to be able to pursue all of the stories that we want. Everyone here is super easy to talk to and really helpful when it comes to pursuing ideas and writing stories.”
