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Celebrating Excellence: Achievements in Yearbook Design

Celebrating Excellence: Achievements in Yearbook Design 
Our high schools have truly shined in yearbook excellence! Boswell, Saginaw, and Chisholm Trail High Schools each brought home impressive honors at the Texas Association of Journalism Educators' (TAJE) Best in Texas competition, earning a combined total of 32 awards. Boswell led with 16 awards, including a Superior rating for a student-designed cover by senior Sarah Dancer. Not far behind, Saginaw claimed 8 awards, with senior Salem Aladedunye taking home three Superior awards in Theme Development, Endsheet Design, and Opening/Closing Spreads. Chisholm Trail also made an impressive mark, earning a 5th place finish in Best of Show at Fall Fiesta and a Pacemaker nomination, placing them among the top yearbook programs in the state. These achievements reflect the hard work, creativity, and passion of our students and advisers, showcasing their talent in the art of yearbook design. 
  
Boswell High School: "What You Make It" 
Boswell High School’s yearbook team had a standout year, earning 16 awards, including a Superior rating for a student-designed cover by senior Sarah Dancer. The book, What You Make It, showed a tremendous leap in recognition from previous years, reflecting the hard work and growth of the entire team. 
  
The yearbook earned Honorable Mentions in multiple categories, including Theme Development (Sarah Dancer and Nadia Heth), Theme Copy (Kiernan Lamar), and Headline Writing (Staff). The sports section also shone brightly, with Excellent awards for the Sports Spread (Taylor Davis) and Sports Feature Photo (Kailea Sisk). 
  
Sarah’s Superior-rated cover design was one of the highlights of the year. “I was actually sleeping when they announced it,” Sarah recalled. “I woke up to find out we quadrupled our awards. It was very exciting because I wasn’t expecting that.” 
  
Cliff Hamilton, Boswell’s yearbook adviser, expressed his pride in the team’s success. “Winning 16 ‘Best in Texas’ awards is a sign that Boswell’s journalists are arriving,” he said. “We’ve definitely made a statement this year.” 

Boswell “Best in Texas” 2024 yearbook award winners Yearbook staffer Anna Kelly, Adviser Cliff Hamilton and editors Sarah Dancer and Nadia Heth
  
Saginaw High School: Stellar Achievements 
Saginaw High School's yearbook team earned 8 awards at the TAJE competition, with several of them recognizing exceptional work across a variety of categories. Senior Salem Aladedunye was the star of the team, earning three Superior awards: one for Theme Development, one for Endsheet Design, and another for Opening/Closing Spreads. Salem’s leadership and vision were instrumental in elevating the entire yearbook team’s work to the highest level. 
  
In addition to Salem’s Superior awards, photo editor Ariana Delgado received an Excellent award for her Sports Spread, while other awards included Honorable Mentions for Sports Feature Photo (Kylee Mangrum), Sports Story (Ariana Delgado), and Organization Spread (Caysie Stewart and Osiah Taylor). 
  
“I was super excited when I heard I won an award,” Ariana said. “It was my rookie year, and hearing that I got an award made me feel proud of myself. It helped push me to work even harder this year.” 
  
Saginaw’s yearbook team showed resilience and dedication, and their success reflects both the leadership of their experienced students and the promise of the newer members. 

Saginaw High School yearbook student posing with yearbook cover Saginaw High School 2024 Yearbook Cover
  
  
Chisholm Trail High School: Rising to the Top 
Chisholm Trail High School also had an exceptional year, earning a 5th place finish in the Best of Show category for 206+ page books at Fall Fiesta. Competing against some of the state’s top schools, this recognition speaks volumes about the skill and dedication of Chisholm Trail's yearbook staff. 
  
Chisholm Trail’s Media Advisor, Erin Sledge, was thrilled with the students' achievement, saying, “Getting 5th place Best in Show at Fall Fiesta was huge. We were competing with schools that consistently win a lot of awards. The yearbook staff works so hard, and seeing their efforts rewarded is so validating.” 
  
For student editors Vi Reed and Destiny Stanfield, their pride in the yearbook shines through in different ways. Vi is especially proud of how the theme was applied across every page: "It took a lot of creativity and collaboration, but I’m really proud of how we implemented our theme into every single page in a unique yet cohesive way." Destiny, meanwhile, highlights the teamwork that drove their success: "I’m proud of how we can switch between joking around and really getting to work. When we have our workdays, we’re able to accomplish a lot. I’m also really proud of the cheer page from last year, which took a lot of effort, but I’m happy with how it turned out." 
  
Chisholm Trail’s yearbook was also nominated for a Pacemaker, one of the highest honors in yearbook publishing, marking a new milestone for the school. 

Chisholm Trail High School Yearbook students and teacher Chisholm Trail High School students working on yearbook in classroom
  
A Unified Celebration 
The outstanding success of Boswell, Saginaw, and Chisholm Trail High Schools’ yearbook teams is a testament to the talent, creativity, and dedication of our students and advisers. Whether it was Boswell’s leap to 16 awards, Saginaw’s impressive triple Superior honors for Salem Aladedunye, or Chisholm Trail’s strong showing at Fall Fiesta, each school contributed to an impressive year of yearbook achievements. 
  
As Cliff Hamilton from Boswell summed up, “Student journalism is all about growing up fast and tackling the same complexities as professionals. Our students are doing just that, and these awards show that they are ready to compete at the highest level.” 
  
Congratulations to all of our yearbook teams for their exceptional work and well-deserved recognition. We can’t wait to see what next year brings!