Don Bott advised publications at Stagg High School in Stockton for 34 years, including  "Stagg Line" newspaper  and website, "Imagination" lit mag, and "Living in Two Worlds" bilingual lit mag.

"My mission has always been and continues to be serving and advocating for the underserved, who make up the majority of California students. They may not always believe in themselves and they face numerous obstacles, but I've loved to see the passion they bring to their work. I was proud to advise "The Stagg Line," an 8-page broadsheet that consistently won awards and garnered the attention of students and advisers across the country. That publication won many awards, including several NSPA National Pacemakers and Story of the Year winners, leading to a place in the NSPA Hall of Fame. I am particularly proud of the Impact Award we won for our coverage of diversity. As for myself, I am humbled to have been named Dow Jones National Journalism Teacher of the Year along with the NSPA Pioneer Award and the JEA Medal of Merit. I've served JEANC for 20 years and I look back with both pride and disbelief in realizing that I served as local chair for three national conventions in San Francisco."