The Castleton Spartan newspaper team headed to New York City again last week for the annual College Media Association journalism conference and left with a BANG, winning a first-place award for Best Newspaper and an Honorable Mention for an opinion piece by Managing Editor Emily Ely.
The 2026 CMA event is potentially the last one The Spartans will be attending, because it’s being moved to Kansas City next year. But Spartan leaders said if it is the last one, they were proud of how it ended.
Castleton Spartan newspaper club members at CMA conference in NYC.
“I was so excited when I found out we won first place, and I’m so proud of all the members of The Spartan for their hard work and immense contribution to the paper,” Ely said. “Also, as a senior, I am selfishly happy to leave school with a first-place CMA award under my belt!”
This marks the eighth award the paper has won since 2017, and the second first-place award for best newspaper in the division three category.
Due to CMA funding constraints, namely that New York City priced it out of staying, the event will be relocated next year, making it more challenging for The Spartans to attend, and disappointing many who are involved.
“It’s a little disappointing that this is the last year, especially after doing it for two decades,” advisor of The Spartan and communications professor at VTSU Castleton Dave Blow said. “But, getting first place is kind of a neat sendoff, I would say, and Emily getting honorable mention for a really well-written opinion piece is just the icing on the cake.”
While the main focus of the trip is the conference itself, this experience gave these nine students a great opportunity to see what New York City offers, and provided amazing memories.
On the first night of the conference, Page Designer Joe Vyvial and Reporter Hannah Tatro attended a Rangers game at Madison Square Garden, which both put high on their lists of favorite memories from the trip. Their great seats did not just allow for a perfect view of the high scoring game, but Vyvial and Tatro got to see the famous actor, Steve Carell.
Steve Carell and Charly Clive were spotted in the attendance during the New York Rangers game
“I think it was so much fun to be with our group in the city,” Tatro said. “Whether it was exploring different parts of the city together, going to the Rangers game, or even just hanging out in the hotel, I had so many laughs.”
Photographer Ethan Prospere also saw a famous actor while exploring the Big Apple. While walking down the streets one night, Prospere yelled “You’re Shang-Chi” at the famous Marvel actor Simu Liu, who proceeded to nod his head and say “yes” before continuing on his way.
“The city is stunning, bustling, and interesting,” Prospere said.
For Jullian Chiemingo Rivera, reporter for The Spartan, the trip was not only his first time attending the CMA conference, but also his first time in New York City itself.
“Honestly, this was a surreal experience, being able to stay at the hotel and explore the city streets for the first time felt like a fever dream,” Rivera said.
He said his favorite part was being able to spend the weekend with a great group of people while exploring the city culture with them and also getting to network with similar individuals at the CMA conference.
It’s safe to say, however, that Chiemingo Rivera wasn’t prepared for ALL that the city has to offer. He told of a crazy experience happening in front of the H&M doorway at midnight. All of a sudden, the whole group of students was looking at a half-naked, oiled-up man, who was wearing a Joker mask and blasting music, all while doing band exercises.
Members of the Castleton Spartan pose on the balcony at the Connolly’s Irish pub
“It was very creepy and unexpected,” he said. “But will I be coming back? Is that even a question? Of course I’m going to be coming back. It was a phenomenal experience in the city with so much to explore, and I haven’t even scraped the surface level of what I can do in NYC.”
Chiemingo Rivera and Web Editor Carly Centeno also took the local Castleton “Carly on The Street” feature to New York with hopes to expand the audience even further. The question they asked was about the importance and power of student journalism.
“Filming in NYC was euphoric for me, “ Centeno said. “Everyone was so excited to be interviewed, and it was so amazing to be among other students and professors who are just as passionate about media as I am.”
Carly Centeno and Julian Chiemingo Rivera film the next episode of “Carly on the Street” in Times Square.
Copy editors Madelyn Nonni and Amanda Johnson were also first-time attendees of the conference, and had amazing experiences as well. Nonni said how she loved to be able to compare experiences with people her age from all around the country.
“It was a super eye-opening experience, and the panels we attended really added a different perspective to how I approach my work and will continue to in the future,” she said.
As for Johnson, her favorite part was being able to get to know her fellow colleagues better, both in and out of the school environment.
“I don’t get to hang out often outside of school and work, so I had a lot of fun!” she said with a smile. “And the keynote speaker really drew my attention; she made me feel more confident in what direction I want to take my journalism in.”
Keynote speaker Doualy Xaykaothao speaking about reporting in Ukraine.
On the final day of the trip, Blow signs the group up for a keynote speech, and Blow said this year’s was the most memorable in two decades. Seasoned NPR journalist Doualy Xaykaothao left a major impact on this year’s group with her discussion about her experience in Ukraine, where she interacted with dozens of individuals living through heartaches from the war. She shared never before seen snippets of her unreleased podcast with the group student journalists, expressing the importance that our passion projects have on the world.
“I loved the keynote speaker from NPR!” Ely said. “She was so passionate and smart. I felt like I hung onto her every word. I went up to talk to her at the end and I didn’t introduce myself so she grabbed my name tag and looked at my name and I thought, that was so kind and telling of her character.”
Blow’s favorite part of the annual trip was also getting to know the group on a different level.
“I feel I know them all pretty well anyway because we work closely together, but in New York we hang out together, go out to eat, and I also love exposing students to New York City,” he said.
Students took advantage of New York’s abundant food offerings including the bagels that Vyvial and Copy Editor Gabby Blanchard walked an hour to get.
Despite a 6:20 a.m. wake-up call, the sight of two large city rats, and a brisk morning breeze, the Apollos Bagels were definitely worth it. They got an everything bagel, freshly crisped to perfection, smeared with just the right amount of cream cheese, followed by a couple slices of smoked salmon lox, topped with dill, cappers, and a scientifically portioned drizzle of oil.
“That lox bagel was just one of the best things I’ve ever had,” Vyvial said.
The second night of the trip is usually when the group dinner happens and this year’s location was inspired by last year with reservations at the same Mexican restaurant. Blow, Vyvial, and Prospere all ordered tacos, each with a different type of filling. When receiving the food, each man passed a taco to their left until all three of each kind were divided evenly. Simultaneously, taste testing each one together, they would rate the taco on a scale of 1-10. Overall, the chicken came in first place, the lamb in second, and the fish in third.
“Sharing is caring, that’s what Barney says,” Blow joked, making the whole table burst into laughter.
Soon after finishing the tacos, Vyvial looked at Prospere and said, “Do you think they sell churros here?”
Not three minutes after, a waitress comes out with a plate full of churros for the table behind us, sparking the idea for the two plates that showed up at the student table soon after, featuring a chocolate, strawberry, and a crowd favorite, caramel dipping sauce.
Per usual, the NYC trip wouldn’t be the same if there were not a few Irish Pubs included with fun bar games, loud atmospheres, and late night text-to-speach discussion posts. And leave it to Chiemingo Rivera to lose his reporter’s notepad too, but the bartender found it and made sure to return it.
Receiving first place in the CMA Apple awards, checking off boxes on bucket lists, and building a collection of ducks from the Dave and Busters Claw machine, the 2026 NYC CMA conference was beyond memorable.
“I’m just blessed to be here for one of, if not, Dave Blow’s last ride,” Prospere said. “It was great to pick his brain and express how much of a lasting impact he has left on us all.”