The 2018 Allen County-Scottsville High
School yearbook, entitled The Patriot, has
been recognized at the national level. The AC-SH yearbook ranked second in the
National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) Yearbook Contest.
AC-SH yearbook advisor Lisa Williams
explains that the contest not only recognizes the dedicated work of her 2018 yearbook
staff but serves as an educational tool to help current and future students
create a better yearbook.
“This contest is a way to get feedback from professionals who give advice for improvement,” Williams explained. “We always want to improve from year to year, so I initially entered us in order to get the judges' feedback.”
Williams submitted the 2018 yearbook to be carefully
and critically evaluated by NSPA officials.
“A panel of judges review the book for page design, story layout, graphics, headlining, cover design, advertising placement, and photography,” Williams said. “Each yearbook is then scored on a point system and is ranked in a category of first, second, or third. We are still awaiting the feedback to see where our specific strengths and weaknesses are, but I should get it this week. The judges score thousands of yearbooks in this contest, and it is a wonderful achievement to have ranked second.”
The finished yearbook each spring reflects a
year-long effort by a dedicated class of students who are challenged to be creative
in their work to tell the story of the year at Allen County-Scottsville High
School.
“We start with nothing but 288 blank pages and an idea,” Williams explains. “Students on staff have to start by learning everything from the ground up, which can be overwhelming because they learn basic journalistic writing and interviewing, basic photography, and basic graphic design, and they learn them pretty much as they are in the process of creating the book. Students who come back for more than one semester usually branch out from the basics to specialize in one area. When they do that, the sky is the limit. If they can dream it, they can do it.”
Students assume various roles in the process
to create the finished product.
“I have editors who are in charge of making content decisions and ensuring quality content,” Williams said. “I have a business manager who is in charge of advertising sales and record-keeping. Most importantly, I have a host of kids who must imagine what they want to create, and then I help them figure out how to create it. It is hard work, and the staffers must be able to depend on one another to complete their fair share of the workload. It is a massive undertaking, but we are always happy to see the printed book. It makes the hard work worthwhile.”
The end result reflects a collaborative effort
which not only involves students but also many individuals in the local
community.
“I am thankful to all of the people who make our book possible,” Williams added. “From businesses and senior parents who buy advertisements to system administrators who keep our computer software running, it takes an entire network of people to make yearbook publication happen every year, and I am thankful to everyone who helps us. It means a whole lot to the kids, and it means a lot to me.”
Staff members for the 2018 AC-SH yearbook were, Ashton Wagoner, Sarah Weaver, Angel Weaver, Payton Sloan, Hayden Petty, Kris Simmons, Daisy Caratachea, Hannah Caldwell, Haley Cherry, Madison Spradlin, Hailey Traughber, Sydney Day, Sarah Thompson, Shea Lovins, Abigail Stamps, Mackenzie Groce, Jill Sprinkle, Kady Porter, Lillian Gunter, Miranda Pilgrim, Jacey Montgomery, Lake Doss, Jake Stovall, Felicia Hawkins, Elizabeth Gardner, Amicia D'Amico, Madison England, Koren Hamilton, Sarah Sutton, Shalyn Dick, Karley Burchett, Raeghan Spencer, Allyson Gobbell, Andrew Borth, Tabitha Whitlow, Ally Atwood, Renee Hewitt, Madison Smith, Arrington Mummert, Jenny Tharpe, Lawren Nelly, Spencer Boatwright, Emily Guedea, Kaci Cline, Mikayla Groce, Holly Sisco, Hillary Noe, and Monica Madden.