ASHBURNHAM — More than 450 student journalists from around New England gathered at Boston University College of Communication on May 1 for the 2026 New England Scholastic Press Association (NESPA) spring conference.
Among the multitude of young writers in attendance were 20 staff members from The Oakmonitor, Oakmont Regional High School’s student publication. The seniors presented at, contributed to, and co-won the All-New England Publication Website second place award at the large gathering, a feat they are thrilled with.
“Given the business of journalism and the constant struggles of the field, it is inspiring to know that journalism is alive and well in New England and at high schools like Oakmont,” said Mark Nevard, who teaches English and journalism at the high school in Ashburnham and is also advisor for The Oakmonitor, The Forum, Oakmont’s annual literary and art publication, and the schools’ creative writing club.
In addition to these members of The Oakmonitor crew taking home the honor mentioned above – co-editor-in chief Reagan Bouchard, Weston Cinclair, Mikaela Groncki, and Kaitlyn Renda along with Nevard — Bouchard was the Massachusetts Journalist of the Year runner up, Ella Bebeau-Smith and Weston Cinclair each won two awards, and Brett Crossman and Megan Vance one apiece.
“From stumbling into freshman year not knowing I’d land on The Oakmonitor, to presenting in front of a live audience at Boston University, was truly shocking,” Bouchard said. “Sophomore year we were the ones sitting in the audience scribbling down notes and now we had advisors and students coming up to us asking questions. These past years of hard work and dedication have led our paper to grow so much in size and quality. I am grateful to say I was a part of The Oakmonitor’s e-board, meeting the people we did, and seizing the opportunities we had.”
She worked all through Christmas break and for days afterwards on her portfolio ahead of the prestigious conference.
“I did it thinking I probably wouldn’t get any recognition. However, at that point, despite doubting my chances, I was proud of the work I’d done,” Bouchard said. “Seeing most of it in one place like that, going back through things I created a year ago, pictures I’d sent to friends, articles I had once edited, it showed me how much I accomplished. It reminded me that I can keep pushing, I can do the things I set my mind to, and I do have the ability to succeed. I’m honored to be a part of this year’s All New England staff and to be named Massachusetts Journalist of the Year runner up, and all the opportunities that came along with it.”
Nevard said the hardworking newspaper staff that includes close to 30 seniors “has learned from the graduated staff members and enhanced The Oakmonitor in so many ways — reorganizing e-board staff, adding sections, and mentoring younger staff with professionalism and kindness.”
“They embrace the daily grind of finding, reporting, and accurately publishing so much news on a professional website,” the longtime educator said. “I have learned so much from them. So many have found their niche and have become knowledgeable resources in their roles. Hard work and passion have led to results and inspired underclassmen following them.”
Established in 1961 and online since 2018, The Oakmonitor has some impressive stats. Since September 1, 2025, there have been over 130,000 visitors to the website and 390 stories posted by 80 staff members, 28 of those seniors.
Nevard has been teaching at the high school that serves the towns of Ashburnham and Westminster since 1997 and took over the role of The Oakmonitor advisor in 2012.
“Our student newspaper and journalism program are thriving,” he reported, adding that The Oakmonitor’s Instagram following has more than doubled just over the last three months thanks to the efforts of Bebeau-Smith and Crossman.
Nevard went on to say that at Oakmont, they are “fortunate to run at least two full-course English electives each year for grades nine through 12.”
“It is a course based on learning journalism, ethics, writing mechanics, and article and publication critiques,” Nevard continued. “Our administration and staff are incredibly supportive, always making time to interview, share, and educate our student-journalists. We need educated local sources who are willing to share their expertise — and our community certainly is here to help.”
The school has been represented at the NESPA spring conference for many years, and each time are able to bring about 20 student staff members.
“The conference has four block sessions, 45 minutes each, [and] each block has about eight choices of presenters — professional, college, and some high-school journalists, advisers, and college professors,” Nevard said. “This was the first year we were invited to present a workshop and sit on panels.”
When asked why it’s important to him and The Oakmonitor staff members to continue to provide trusted, quality journalism, Nevard shared his thoughts.
“In today’s world and today’s America, news is under the microscope. So much trust has been lost, and readers come to expect bias. It is so important for today’s youth to have awareness of where people are getting their news,” he said. “This year Reagan Bouchard and our staff created a mission statement for our publication, which includes the concepts of truth, accuracy, integrity, and diversity. While it may simply be a daily student newspaper, we try to take our job seriously and aim to improve every day. This staff has made journalism and The Oakmonitor a key part of our school culture.”
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