The student-run newspaper at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School took home several top prizes at this year’s New England Scholastic Press Association conference, continuing a winning streak.
The association awarded the High School View — published weekly in The MV Times — the all-New England award, and the highest achievement award for the class III division. The divisions are based on the total number of students in a school.
Two newspaper staffers also took home three awards for individual stories they wrote.
These include a special achievement award for a feature story, “Community Chess Night promotes competition across all ages,” by Finn Robinson; a special achievement award for a news story, “Vineyard Wind visits career pathways class,” also by Robinson; and a special achievement award for a news story, “Seniors face FAFSA delays,” by the paper’s editor, Nikeya Tankard.
The association held the award ceremony at Boston University College of Communication on Friday, May 3. Students participated in workshops on journalistic ethics, finding underreported stories, the role of the student press, and other topics.
Though the special achievement awards are a usual takeaway from NESPA, the all-New England award, granted on the basis of a paper’s overall publications from the year, isn’t as common of a win.
“We don’t always receive the all-New England award — only a select few school newspapers receive it each year from NESPA,” Tankard said.
“I absolutely think it’s a testament to this year’s team, and the work we’ve consistently put in before, during, and after the school day, nearly every day.”
Kate Hennigan, advisor to the student newspaper, praised the collaboration with The Times.
“We’re one of — if not the only — student newspapers in New England to publish on a weekly basis in the local newspaper,” Hennigan said.
“It’s not only incredible to have this partnership with The Times and the readership within the wider community, but it’s also such a valuable experience for these kids, who are pitching stories, doing research, conducting interviews, and writing on such a tight deadline, while simultaneously carrying a demanding academic course load,” she said.
The high school currently doesn’t have a journalism class, so the weekly publication and the work that go into it are extracurricular.
“We have a pretty small staff of reporters, and their dedication to covering stories that matter to them is really inspiring,” Hennigan said. “They are doing something they really believe in, and I think that’s everything for students these days. I’m really proud of them. They deserve this recognition.”