Photo courtesy of Mountain Brook High School.
The editors of the award-winning 2021 Mountain Brook High School annual: front row, Emma Hill, Brooke Smith; back row, Madeline Baltz, Ann Carlton Keller.
There are nearly 27,000 high schools in the United States, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
In Alabama alone, there are 718 high schools, including 565 public schools, according to high-schools.com.
Virtually all of these high schools, as they have for generations, have a dedicated group of students who publish a yearbook.
These statistics make it even more special that the yearbook program at Mountain Brook High School recently received the Jostens 2021 National Yearbook Program of Excellence award at the Gold Level.
Jostens, based in Minneapolis, is the nation’s leading producer of yearbooks and class rings.
It announced the award May 17.
The National Yearbook Program of Excellence recognizes yearbooks that reflect a broad representation of the student body while helping students develop communication and collaboration skills, as well as literacy in information and communication technologies, according to a Jostens news release.
The yearbook staff and sponsors at MBHS also created “an excellent yearbook” despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, said Jill Covington McGee, yearbook advisor and the chair of the MBHS Business Education Department.
“This group found a way to produce a quality and memorable yearbook despite the alternating class schedules, the masks, the cancellation of events and the limited activity of school clubs and organizations,” McGee said.
The Olympian award-winning yearbook program is led by editors Madeline Baltz, Emma Hill, Ann Carlton Keller, and Brooke Smith under the direction of Lori Beasley, Julie Kash, and Jill McGee, yearbook advisers.
Yearbook staff members were Julia Abele, Luke Barlow, Sally Bussian, Evelyn Coleman, Ann Sutherland Elliott, Lucy Evans, Grace Gardner, Annie LaRussa, Mary Frances Little, Mary Carolyn Sink, Sinclair Turner and Falcon Wiles.
“Their perseverance and determination to make this publication happen is commendable,” McGee said. “This award justifies their hard work this school year.”
Will Zeigler, a Jostens representative, assisted the staff throughout the year.
The award was presented to the Mountain Brook High School yearbook program for achieving defined criteria in the following categories: creating an inclusive yearbook, generating school engagement, and successfully managing the yearbook creation process.
“Jostens is proud to recognize those individuals who have created an exceptional yearbook for their school and community,” said Tammy Whitaker, Jostens VP and COO Yearbook Division. “These schools did an exceptional job on multiple levels, despite the challenges presented by this school year.
The 2021 Olympian yearbook — the theme is “Spartans in the Spotlight” — was the 54th edition published and the 39th edition printed by Jostens for the school, according to the news release.
The yearbook contained 264 pages, and 985 copies were printed. A hardback supplement containing spring sports, events, and awards will be mailed to the students who purchased a yearbook this summer.
Founded in 1897, Jostens has produced school yearbooks for over 60 years. The company and its local representatives help students develop skills in journalism, photography, writing and design and business while creating the permanent record of the school year.
The Program of Excellence Awards are presented twice a year, in spring and fall, based on the yearbook’s arrival date at the school.
