Northwood’s student-led newspaper has earned national recognition from one of the oldest and most prestigious student journalism organizations.
The Mirror is a silver medalist in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s College/Scholastic Digital News category. The Mirror received a thorough evaluation of the paper according to sound journalistic standards. The CSPA has been evaluating student-produced newspapers and magazines since 1925 and it is the most prestigious scholastic press association. The evaluation looks at 70 distinct areas of operation in three general categories: Essentials, Verbal, and Visual.
Mr. John Spear is Northwood’s journalism teacher and The Mirror’s adviser. He said he is encouraged by the award, especially after the difficulty of the past two years.
“It has been a challenging two and a half school years,” said Spear. “In the spring of 2020, after students were abruptly sent home, The Mirror staff worked hard to chronicle life at Northwood during that tumultuous time. Last school year, we took a hiatus for the first trimester and struggled for the rest of the year to find a balance so that every article wasn’t about the pandemic,” Spear added.
Spear said he hopes this honor results in renewed interest in The Mirror. “This year, we have the smallest staff since the paper relaunched in 2015. The students are writing excellent articles, but I worry we’re missing important stories because we are understaffed. I am hopeful that this recognition from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association will result in more students taking journalism and writing for the paper,” he said.
