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Portland, ME (March 29, 2025) – Northern Essex Community College student journalists from the NECC Observer recently won awards from The New England Newspaper and Press Association (NENPA) in the college division of the Better Newspaper competition.

Shaun Hood of Groveland and Observer correspondents received a first-place award for best arts and entertainment section, and former Observer Editor-in-Chief/Opinion Editor Kim Zappala of Haverhill won a third-place award for best opinion section.

Shaun Hood and his award

The awards were announced at NENPA’s annual convention on March 29 in Portland, Maine.

The awards honored work produced and published in the student newspaper the NECC Observer during the 2023-2024 school year. This is the second year in a row that Zappala won a NENPA award. In 2024 she won second place for best opinion section. Zappala graduated from NECC in May, 2024. She is now studying journalism at UMass Lowell.

The Observer staff members were competing against students from colleges and universities throughout New England. Finalists in their categories included students from New England College, Bowdoin College, University of Southern Maine and Quinnipiac University.

“Congratulations to Shaun and Kim and the journalism students who contributed to the arts and entertainment section. These awards are a testament to the hard work the students put into the Observer and their dedication and commitment to the craft of journalism and to the student newspaper,” said  Mary Jo Shafer, NECC Journalism/Communication program coordinator and faculty adviser to the NECC Observer. “Shaun puts incredible effort, thought, planning, care, and creativity into his stories and page.  Kim is dedicated, passionate, and diligent in digging for facts and presenting engaging and informative opinion pieces. I am so proud of Shaun and Kim. “

Kim Zappala and her award

Shafer said she is also pleased to see the contributions from students in Journalism I and II courses being honored as part of the arts and entertainment award because the Observer appreciates their submissions. “I think it’s a nice acknowledgement of our students who consistently write interesting, informative, engaging, and relevant stories and who have lots to say and share about arts and entertainment topics,” she said.

Several other student journalists from NECC also attended the annual two-day convention, attending workshops on topics including interviewing techniques, unlocking data for local journalism, public records, media law, artificial intelligence, fact-checking and best practices, tips for writing good stories, podcasting, investigative reporting, gender and local news and more. Students also attended a town hall focused on the First Amendment. The March 29 keynote featured artist Alexandra Bell, who led a thought-provoking session on rethinking and revising news coverage to promote fairness and accuracy.

The Observer is published monthly during the academic year by NECC journalism students. Observer staff members work to inform the college community, including students, faculty, and staff. The Observer also serves as a public forum for the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses and accepts letters and guest columns from the college community.

The NECC Observer is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press, the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, and the New England Press Association.

To learn more about NECC’s Journalism/Communications program, visit the website or contact Mary Jo Shafer via email.

From left, former Observer Editor-in-Chief/Opinion Editor Kim Zappala, Campus Life Editor Rowan Rockwell, Features Editor Bailey Orio and Editor-in-Chief Daniela Valdivia-Terres attend the New England Newspaper and Press Association convention in Portland, Maine, March 29.