Mass. Students Named Finalists In National Story of the Year Contest

A variety of Massachusetts student journalists were named finalists earlier this fall in the National Scholastic Press Association’s annual Story of the Year contest.

NSPA will announce winners of the awards this Saturday afternoon during the fall national high school journalism convention in Chicago. More than 6,300 students are on hand at the convention, including students and adviser from Westford, Newton, Woburn, and Plymouth.

Students who were named finalists:

In Broadcast News Story: Mia Fanizzi, Ashley Hutchens of Mustang Magazine at Norwood High School with Time to Pay Up.

In Broadcast Opinion:  Norwood High School Mustang Mag’s Robert Bussiere, Xavier Cullen, and Tim Rose with The Last Jedi.

In Opinion Piece: Gabe Bryan from Brimmer and May’s The Gator  for Speak Truth to Power Amid Sexual Abuse Claims.

In News Story: The Harbinger at Algonquin Regional’s Cassidy Wang and Paige Morse for Vape Culture.

In Multimedia News Story Package: Ella Kitterman, and Chloe McKim Jepsen of Brookline High School’s The Sagamore for Brookline community recoils from racist videos, looks to future

In Mulimedia News Story Package: Jared Heller, Abigail Mynahan from Brimmer and May’s The Gator for
Expressing Ourselves.

In News Story: Michelle Cheng, Thomas Patti, Carina Ramos of Newton South’s The Lion’s Roar for
Deepening Disconnect

In Interactive Graphic: Jeffrey Shen, Harvey Zheng of Phillips Academy in Andover’s The Phillipian for
State of the Academy.

No comprehensive statistics are available, but this likely represents Massachusetts students’ best ever showing in this contest, one of the most prestigious individual competitions available to high school journalists.

Many of the finalists also were recognized this spring as part of MASPA’s spring Best of the Massachusetts High School Press contest.