Congratulations to SHS Student Staff for Earning Coveted Award
by Elizathbeth Cyr
A big congratulations to our student staff for earning this coveted award: The Spartan with special commendation for unifying theme.
Super proud of them for pulling themselves back up to this level of excellence.
The out-of-state judge noted the quality across the book as well as the areas for improvement. These comments will become our curriculum this year.
What makes me most proud is the commentary about our students’ roles as leaders and role models, espousing the qualities needed in our future citizens.
OVERALL SUMMARY COMMENTS:
BRAVO! The Panther 2019 is a masterpiece.
Professional-grade quality is conspicuous throughout The Panther 2019. Seldom does a yearbook deliver so much enjoyment and convey such a strong feeling of pride and positive thinking. Adviser Elizabeth Cyr, editors Taylor Crocket, Jazmine Hawkins, Samantha Argento, and Cassandra Chapman, and the entire yearbook staff should be proud of their exceptional achievement. The Panther 2019 is a supernova.
More than anything else, I applaud all of you for your remarkable attention to detail, especially developing the book’s theme. I didn’t realize the full meaning of GLOW, until I saw all the well-chosensynonyms used throughout the book. SPARKLE, SHINE, SHIMMER, and GLIMMER were adeptly coordinated with page content to give readers a captivating experience.
No one but you fully understands or appreciates the tons of time and effort that went into producing such an outstanding yearbook. The Panther 2019 is a perfect reflection of your theme, “GLOW.” Each staff member contributed his/her unique talents to a group enterprise. The result is a book that should be a source of pride to SHS students and the Stockbridge community. Take time to high-five each other and revel in your achievement.
Careful planning was the key to the continuity found nearly everywhere. I’m glad I read Elizabeth Gyr’s [sic] insightful summary of why the GLOW theme was chosen and how it was developed. Her comments helped me appreciate the staff’s remarkable time, talent, and effort.
Creating page layouts without pre-designed templates, taking all the pictures (including team photos) in the yearbook, and doing all the writing and editing are testaments to the staff’s talent and dedicated work ethic.
Theme development is your finest achievement. Designing your theme around a simple word like glow is resourceful. So is the way glow is connected to key concepts like teamwork and striving for excellence. Nowhere does your theme sparkle more brightly than on pp. 4-5. Building the spread around the extra large photo of the graffiti wall with junior Rachel Owen standing next to it produces a WOW-some effect. The small heading “Let it glow, let it glow, let it glow,” the accompanying caption, and summary copy complete a radiantly extraordinary layout. Superior creativity, photography, and design excellence shine on division spreads like “The Bigger they become, the harder they fall” and “Bright Personalities Shine With Help from Local Businesses” spreads. Similar to the superb content and design found on the inside front cover and title page, the final spread on the last page and inside back cover is DAZZLING! Once again, meticulous attention to detail appears in everything — from the wording of the headline (BURN BRIGHT: You sparked a flame. Savor its warmth.) to the superior picture of senior Hannah Gutting and junior Taylor Carey. The purple duotone adds extra luster.
Stellar theme development also appears on pp. 80-81 and pp. 88-89. Those two spreads spotlight how the talent and collaboration at SHS produce exemplary education. I wish every high school put a similar emphasis on developing leaders and role models and promoted altruism, personal responsibility, camaraderie, and positive thinking. Never before has our country needed those essentials so much.
The panel pages and Colophon fall short of the superior quality found elsewhere in The Panther 2019. Clear, distinctive dividers are needed between each grade level and the faculty section. Using key words like “freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors” in infographics and headlines throughout each section would help. While the Colophon page benefits from staff pictures with creative poses, the overall quality is subpar. It lacks the clarity, creativity, and (most of all) the depth of thought found elsewhere in The Panther 2019. Listing technical details about how the theme was chosen and developed is too impersonal and ho-hum. Most readers would likely prefer a detailed summary that explains WHAT it was like working on the yearbook staff and WHY the experience was beneficial and memorable.
Finally, why isn’t Adviser Elizabeth Cyr in any of the photos or mentioned in the summary copy?
By reaching for the stars, you achieved the pinnacle in writing, photography, and design to produce a superior publication. Regardless of the galaxy, The Panther 2019 is a superstar! It will continue shining brightly every time it’s opened.
Thanks for the privilege of judging your yearbook.
— Brian Thies, Judge
— Brian Thies, Judge
