About the CSPA Gold Key Award
The award is given “in recognition of outstanding devotion to the cause of the school press, encouragement to the student editors in their several endeavors, service above and beyond the call of delegated duty, leadership in the field of education, and support of the high ideals from which the Association has drawn its strength and inspiration. CSPA's founding director, Col. Joseph M. Murphy, started the tradition in 1929. Beginning in 1930, Gold Keys were presented during the concluding ceremonies of the Association's annual convention.
CSPA wishes to congratulate 2025 CSPA Gold Key recipients Matthew LaPorte and Mitchell Ziegler.
Matthew LaPorte
Matthew LaPorte began teaching in 2007 and has taught and served as an adviser to the Howl yearbook and the Southwest Shadow at Southwest Career and Technical Academy in Las Vegas, since 2009. Under his guidance, the Howl and Southwest Shadow have been recognized for excellence by CSPA, NSPA, Quill and Scroll, and local journalism organizations. These accolades are well earned, according to his peers. Said Sarah Nichols, “Matt is an innovator, and he helps others push the envelope…Kids absolutely love him, and advisers admire him. Margie Raper agrees. “His students are energized and deeply involved, a reflection of the culture he has cultivated—one of respect, motivation, and high expectations. He challenges colleagues and students alike to strive for their best, making those who work with him better at their craft.” When asked about his biggest accomplishment as an adviser, LaPorte said this: “My biggest ‘win’ has been seeing students grow not only as journalists but as confident individuals, ready to contribute their voices to the world. While the challenges have been many, each has contributed to making the program stronger, more sustainable, and more student-driven.”
Mitchell Ziegler
When Mitch Ziegler was asked after two years of teaching to take on advising the newspaper at Pioneer High School in 1986, it was an offer he dared not refuse. With declining enrollments, he decided to take on the task for job security, if nothing else. The program took off and he liked it. Strike that: he loved it.
A few years later, in 1990, Ziegler moved to Redondo Union High, where he taught English and advised newspaper and yearbook. In 2013, he began to teach photography. “Newspaper, yearbook, and photography sustained my drive and enthusiasm for teaching the rest of my career,” he said. “Being able to learn new things has always kept me going.” After 35 years of teaching, Ziegler recently retired, not only with a long list of awards, but accolades from former students and colleagues that convey the impact and influence he has had on so many lives and careers. The publications that Ziegler has advised have consistently won CSPA Crowns, NSPA Pacemakers, and others, year over year. Ziegler himself has been distinguished with the following: JEA Special Recognition Yearbook Adviser; JEA Distinguished Yearbook Adviser; California Journalism Educator of the Year; Dow Jones News Fund Distinguished Adviser; the JEA Medal of Merit; the NSPA Pioneer Award; the H. L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year, and this year, the CSPA Gold Key.
Said Ziegler, “I believe that service to the profession has sustained me. Service is simply a part of who I am, and a large part why I became a teacher…I always loved teaching, and the students were the main part of that. They want respect and honesty, and I gave that to them.”