Marblehead’s Carole Remick spent her life opening doors for aspiring young journalists. Now, 15 years after her death, her legacy continues to help a new generation of reporters get their start at the Marblehead Current.
The Carole Remick Charitable Foundation has donated $10,000 to support the Current’s student internship program, marking the third year the foundation has invested in this local nonprofit newspaper and its mission to train young journalists.
Mary Kay Leonard, a longtime friend of Remick’s who now oversees the foundation, said supporting the Current’s internship program is a fitting way to honor Remick’s lifelong commitment to journalism education.
“It has been so rewarding to watch the Marblehead Current cultivate young, local journalists and teach them how to cover their own community. Carole would be proud to know that her foundation is going to support the next generation of journalists, beginning right here in her town.”
The Current has used previous grants from the Remick Foundation to hire, train and mentor several students, giving them hands-on experience in community journalism. This year’s donation will allow the newspaper to expand the program, providing more opportunities for aspiring journalists and civic leaders to learn the ropes of local reporting.
Cultivating and supporting the next generation of journalists and civic leaders is central to the Current’s mission. The newspaper is passionate about giving up-and-coming reporters meaningful opportunities to develop their skills, discover their voices and understand the vital role local journalism plays in a healthy community.
Student interns cover municipal government, school issues, sports, arts and community events, gaining firsthand experience in interviewing, research, news writing and the responsibilities of an independent press.
Former paid intern Grey Collins, now a freshman at Tufts University, said his time at the Current gave him a new appreciation for community journalism and valuable experience that he has carried into college.
“Interning at the Current over the last two summers was such an incredible experience,” Collins said. “It strengthened my interest in journalism and showed me the importance of local reporting. Through the internship, I had the rare opportunity to see firsthand — in my hometown — the valuable work journalists do to share stories, and connect their community. Whether it was shooting a sailing regatta, or writing about a protest, I learned many valuable lessons at the Current.”
A longtime Marblehead resident, Remick was an English professor, journalism educator and tireless advocate for young people, particularly students who lacked the financial resources or professional connections to pursue their ambitions.
She believed everyone could succeed with the right support — and spent her career making sure promising students received it.
Her teaching career took her from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Lake George, New York, and Peabody High School before she became an English professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
It was at UMass Boston that Remick made one of her most enduring contributions to journalism education.
While overseeing the university’s cooperative education program, she secured funding from the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund and launched the New England High School Journalism Collaborative in 1987. The program introduced teenagers of color to journalism, helping them develop reporting and writing skills, gain newsroom experience and explore careers in the news industry.
Remick retired from teaching in 1997 but continued running the collaborative, remaining deeply involved in mentoring young journalists.
The program continues today, nearly four decades after its founding, thanks in part to the efforts of former students and colleagues who have carried on her work.
Nearly four decades after Remick launched a journalism program to open doors for young people, her legacy continues — now through the pages of her hometown newspaper.
To learn more about the Carole Remick Charitable Foundation and the programs it supports, visit caroleremickfoundation.org. To support the Current, visit MarbleheadCurrent.org/donate.
