The Vineyard Gazette and a middle school class from the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School have won a first-place award in the national Newspaper and Education Contest. In the project the Gazette helped the class, which was studying the history of slavery in the U.S., create a newspaper about the modern day slave trade.

The Vineyard Gazette’s special coverage of coastal erosion last summer has won a first-place award for best investigative or in-depth story or series from the National Newspaper Association.

The newspaper won 30 awards for excellence in in reporting, photography, graphic design and advertising — both in print and digital publishing — in the annual contest sponsored by the New England Newspaper and Press Association.

It’s difficult to imagine today, but there was a time before resorthood on Martha’s Vineyard — a time before summer houses, before restaurants and shops and sportfishing and sailing.

Mona Rosenthal, an account executive with the company for the past year, succeeds BJ Yerdon, who retired from the Gazette in December after 12 years.