The North Wind has been awarded “First Place with Special Merit” for universities with enrollment of more than 2,500 and “Most Outstanding Newspaper” for the 2011-2012 school year by the American Scholastic Press Association.

Only seven schools in the nation won the “First Place with Special Merit” award and only two schools in the country won “Most Outstanding Newspaper,” edging out hundreds of competing school publications. The awards are a great way to show for the long hours the staff puts in, said faculty adviser Kristy Basolo.

“The staff was new to their positions this year and worked through the year to continually improve,” Basolo said. “It’s nice to see them rewarded for their hard work.”

It has been a few years since the North Wind has won an award from the ASPA.

“It was really exciting to win,” said Delaney Lovett, editor in chief. “We worked really hard this year. It’s everyone’s desire to make it the best paper, and we all share the same goals.”