Superintendent Pam Beaudoin, Principal Patricia Puglisi, and Faculty Advisor Mary Buckley-Harmon congratulate members of “The Independent” newspaper staff who have been honored for excellence in student journalism in New England.
Ella Chafe, Avabella Mitrano, and Alessia Omari were recognized for individual achievement during the New England Scholastic Press Association’s 72nd annual conference on May 1 at Boston University. NESPA annually rewards excellent individual work and teamwork in New England’s secondary school media.
Chafe was honored for her editorial, “Juniors having access to study halls would prove beneficial.” Mitrano was recognized for a feature story about the passing of special education teacher Kim Henry. Omari received honors for her artwork accompanying a pro/con article debating setting limits on the number of Advanced Placement courses a student may take.
"When I received this achievement, I felt very surprised but also accomplished. I joined journalism my sophomore year of high school, and never thought that I would find such a keen interest and love for it," Mitrano said. "My article is particularly special to me. It was an appreciation of the life of Kimberly Henry, who helped me a lot in middle school. Although I am grateful for this award, I am more grateful for the fact that such a writing form exists. It is truly beautiful how every story, no matter what type, can be written about and shared with everyone."
"I'm really happy with my achievement," Chafe said. "This topic is very important to me and I put a lot of effort into my writing."
"In all honesty I wasn't expecting my cartoon to win an award. The one that had won was actually the first cartoon I had ever drawn for the paper," Omari said. "Mrs. Buckley-Harmon seemed thrilled to tell me that my artwork was recognized, and it made me happy to see that other people liked the little illustrations that I make for 'The Independent.'"
“The Independent” was founded in 1991 and has been published continuously during the school year since 1997, chronicling student life and spotlighting issues important in the school community. Journalism students working on the newspaper have earned numerous awards under Buckley-Harmon’s guidance.
Omari and seven other “Independent” staff members attended the NESPA conference. The students attended panels devoted to such issues as public records, visual storytelling, interviewing techniques, and the vital role journalism plays in a free society. Tina McDuffie, an Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist and associate professor of journalism at Boston University, was the keynote speaker.
"Due to the pandemic, we hadn't been able to attend the NESPA conference for four years. I enjoyed introducing this group of students to the conference for the first time, especially as it was a chance for them to hear other people emphasize the importance of the press to our democracy," Buckley-Harmon said. "I was particularly proud of how engaged our students were, and I was gratified to hear them say that the conference brought them a greater appreciation of our school newspaper. It was a fun and informative day for all of us!"
