Jadie Dow and Carly Trombley, editors of The Spartan hold two recent issues which were chosen for an award. 

The Castleton Spartan student newspaper was recently selected by the New England Society of News Editors as one of the top college newspapers in the region.

            The award, third runner-up for best college newspaper in New England, will be awarded on April 20 in Dedham, Massachusetts.

Though no members of the staff will be attending the award ceremony, co-editors Jadie Dow and Carly Trombley said they are very proud of the achievement.

            “The fact that we won anything makes me so proud because there were so many papers submitted from all over New England. I feel like we represented our school and state really well,” Trombley said.

            Qualifications for the award included submitting two issues within certain date parameters and including several copies of the issues selected. Based on the criteria, the Spartan staff chose two issues from the 2016-17 school year, with communication professor Bob Gershon and Huden Dining Hall legend “Q,”  as the front-page centerpiece stories respectively.

            Advisor for the newspaper, professor David Blow, was as excited about the award as his students.

            “It’s not first place, but these students essentially produced the fourth best collegiate paper in New England, and that feels pretty good,” Blow said.

            Online editor Catherine Twing also feels a sense of pride over the award.

            “Out of all the college newspapers in New England who entered, we were among the best and that feels great. I’m also really proud of our staff, and we wouldn’t have gotten here without Dave, so we owe him a lot,” Twing said.

            Dow, a senior currently interning at the Rutland Herald with Twing, has been a part of the staff for most of her college career and sad the award is a nice surprise to end her college career.

            “When we entered this competition, it seemed pretty far-fetched to me. It’s just reassurance to me that we are doing something right. We work really hard, and it’s great to see that our work is being acknowledged,” she said.