By Ethan Walshe
Editor-in-Chief

During the Westford Academy Ghostwriter’s annual trip to the New England Scholastic Press Association’s (NESPA) spring conference at Boston University, the staff came away with the highest honor: an All-New England First Place award for Online Scholastic Editing and Publishing.

The award was distributed at the end of the day’s activities during a ceremony hosted by NESPA executive director Helen Smith.

This is the first All-New England award that advisor Janet Fonden has presided

“I was so proud of this entire team. They have worked so hard and completely deserve this honor,” said Fonden.

Co-Editors-in-Chief Kyle Auger, Abby Cianciolo, and Ethan Walshe jointly accepted the award on behalf of the Ghostwriter staff.

“We’ve never really won an award of this caliber … it feels good to get an award for all the hard work [we] put in,” said Auger.

Senior Jocelyn Cote also received three individual awards, two in the category of photography for Sports Photo and Photo Slideshows, and one for her review of a Green Day concert in April of 2013.

“This was my third year attending the conference and my goal has always been to come home with just one award … to come in this morning and have three awards put in my hands was pretty awesome,” said Cote.

Prior to the awards ceremony, students from many schools throughout the New England area attended workshops on topics ranging from Interviewing Skills and Seven Ways to be Eye-Catching to Winning Awards for your Columns and Editorials and What It’s Like to Study Journalism in College.

Before lunch, the Ghostwriter staff attended a keynote speech by Boston Globe photographer John Tlumacki during which he discussed his experiences photographing the Boston Marathon Bombing and following the Corcoran family as they recovered through the past year.

Advisor Jack Holbrook attributes the staff’s success to the work they’ve put in this past year.

“I believe it was the sense of true professionalism that they all adopted and embraced,” said Holbrook.

Fonden hopes that the Ghostwriter will continue to receive awards of this nature.

“I think the underclassmen really need to continue the excellence that the upperclassmen have shown this year,” said Fonden.