Boston University’s campus was filled with students on May 1st, but not college students. High school journalists from all over New England swarmed the campus for the 2026 NESPA Conference.
The Annual NESPA conference consists of 30 different journalistic workshops, and out of those 30, students have the opportunity to attend three workshops and a swap shop, which is something they implemented this year.
The swap shop is the first “workshop”. Students choose a room that most closely fits their role. This is so students can connect and bring back ideas from others who share the same role or interest.
The next three shops, students can choose any of the journalism-related workshops to learn and bring back to their publication.
Audrey DesBois, a junior reporter and photographer, found the experience eye-opening and was overjoyed about the new ideas to bring back for the following year. Facilitated by Boston Globe employee John Vitti, DesBois was joined by roughly 30 other student journalists.
She implied, “I was able to get others’ opinions on ideas for next year, the upcoming phone ban, how to approach photography, and how to get images for articles.” Furthermore, she felt she wouldn’t be able to keep up or succeed as a rising photo editor; however, after attending many photography sessions, asking questions, and taking photos, she understood she would be able to succeed in her upcoming role.
Oakmonitor senior editors, Kaitelyn Renda, Reagan Bouchard, Weston Cinclair, and Mikeala Gronki, all presented at the NESPA conference. This presentation covered all aspects of the Oakmonitor. Spanning across roles, the management of spreadsheets, the design of the site, and media.
Junior editor Grace Alatalo could see behind the scenes that not many reporters had experience. During the conference, Alatalo sat at the Editor-in-Chief table. She said, “It let me hear about other papers in our area.” She further explained, “The different opinions gave me a new perspective on our paper, as well as tips to improve the quality of our article.”
Ella Bebeau-Smith and Brett Crossman are part of public relations for the Oakmonitor. Their contribution has rewarded them with the SNO Badge, Audience Engagement, and Social Media. Bebeau-Smith also won the Best of SNO Badge for her article “Behind the Scenes: School Lunch.”
Weston Cinclair, design and layout editor, won a SNO Badge for Site Excellence and Oakmont Students Summit Mt Washington, NESPA, Photo Gallery Honorable Mention.
Megan Vance, general editor, was awarded the Best of SNO Badge for her article: “Champions Find a Way”. She was also featured in an Honorable mention for NESPA Sports Writing.
Most impressively, Reagan Bouchard Oakmonitors Editor-in-Chief is the Massachusetts High School Journalist of the Year runner-up and is a member of the 2026 All New England. Reagan mentions that she would have never accomplished this without the help of Nevard and the E-board staff.
She continues to explain that “It was a hard thing to do and took a lot of time, but I learned so much about myself these last years, and it was nice to see it all put together.”
Kaitelyn Renda, Oakmonitor’s Co-Editor-in-Chief, said, “I love learning about the field of journalism and continuing to improve my writing.”
She has met so many people who are interested in Journalism just as much as she is. She loves her role on the Oakmonitor and will continue to pursue journalism throughout her life, even after high school. She said, “I’m so proud of everything the Oakmonitor has achieved and hope that we continue to grow and improve!”
