This past November our school’s yearbook team found out last year’s book won 9th in the country for Best in Show while they were in Missouri for a conference. The group was not expecting this award going into the conference but were very honored to be grouped with the best yearbooks in the country.

This year’s Chief Editor Lillyana Brastad, lifestyles editor on the previous book, was so proud of her former chief Delaney Gaffney for making the 2022 book so amazing. Brastad will have big footsteps to follow.

“I feel a bit of pressure because we got ninth in best of show for the country but I am so proud of Delaney for that so I just want to live up to what she did,” Brastad said, “I learned a lot of editorial things at the conference, ways I can help the whole team work together to make the book better and making sure we stay consistent.”

The conference itself was made for yerds—yearbook nerds—filled with journalism, graphic design, and photography classes.

“I went to a session called Right Hand and it was about how you don’t have to write your stories exactly like the rubric journalism teachers give you,” clubs and academics editor Lily Whitman said, “the teachers were all nice, helpful and gave a lot of good information.”

Like any fun trip away from home there were many laughs and memorable times had. A couple days into the trip there was a close encounter that almost lost the team a baby ads editor.

Jaxxon Sanchez, co baby ads editor, was loving his time at the Missouri conference, walking by himself outside the main conference area after his class with SPLC members, student press law center. The group had plans to head to the Arch, but Sanchez took a little too long in his class. Afterwards he sent a quick text to yearbook member Mathew Reeder about his time crunch, so Reeder decided to get the van moving fast.

“I was walking on the street outside the main building, and they decided to be time efficient and pull up and get me. I guess someone in the car decided it would be funny to grab me. So, they screech up in a white van, slam on the brakes, the door opens, and Matt chucks me in the van,” Sanchez said, “there was a group of people next to me and they didn’t even turn and look at me, I don’t even think they were going to the conference. They were probably from Missouri.”

All in all, the trip was a success as the students were able to learn in an environment where everyone was interested in the field of journalism and graphic design. This year’s book received some fantastic critiques to make it as amazing as possible.